Queen of the Damned
by summersaults16
Summary: James' large hands held her wrists in place. "You can hex me all you want but I'm not leaving you like this," he stubbornly told her as his hazel eyes stared at her with fierce determination. James/OC (Marauder Era 5th year AU) EDITING chapters: Jan. 2019
1. Prologue

**May 30, 2018: Hello everyone. I am truly sorry for the delay in the update. I didn't intend to neglect this story for so long however to be honest, I hated my writing here. I wanted to edit every existing chapter I have before I plan on writing new material. My writing has improved since last year so it was hard for me to incorporate my new form of writing into my old one since this is the first story I've ever written. I still hope you won't give up on this because this fic has a special place in my heart.**

 **P.S. I am silently editing every chapter as best as I can. I have no beta so please be gentle. I am really trying my best here. Nothing in the ongoing plot will change. I am just fixing the grammar and tweaking things that might cause confusion and possible loopholes in the future.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter just the plot and the original characters in my story.**

 **Edited again: Jan. 10, 2019 ~ Happy New Year to my readers who stumbled upon this story!**

* * *

Madam Rosmerta's steady gaze fixed upon the two strangers as soon as they entered the Three Broomsticks. An unsettling feeling washed over her, for something was definitely odd about having a pair of wizards with dark, brooding cloaks over their heads walk into your establishment this late in the night.

Trying to be inconspicuous with her continuous observations, she watched as the men strode and stooped below the wooden beams that crossed the worn out ceiling before falling onto separate bar stools at the far corner of the pub.

Their suspicious actions made her wary so she swallowed hard, fingers reaching for her wand and praying they weren't any of the Dark Lord's followers. She just could not take another commotion unfolding inside her tavern. Merlin knew how frequent it had become now that Lord Voldemort had made his presence known. Indiscreetly, she kept stealing glances at the pair. Though instead of her wand, she grabbed a washcloth and pretended to scrub clean the glass cabinet that stored some of their finest liquor and beverages.

Madam Rosmerta noticed the older man of the two wizards. He had a long grey beard and he was wearing half moon spectacles that glinted in the dimly lit room. She saw him raised a finger and called for a server to get their orders. The boy nodded as he finished listing the drinks and approached the bar, grabbing a bottle of firewhisky and two shot glasses and placed it on their table.

She breathe a sigh of relief with the normalcy of the situation. Surely, she was just being paranoid over a simple matter. She gave a soft chuckle and scolded herself for judging a person so quickly based on their physical appearance. The men hadn't done a thing to disrupt the peace inside the establishment, had they?

Although, she might have spoken to soon because the two wizards she had been observing all evening appeared to be caught up in the middle of a heated argument.

The man in the peculiar glasses exhaled in exasperation and caught her eye before she was able avert them. Using his hand, he motioned to his companion to wait one moment while he strode toward the counter and approached her. He took off the cloak that had partially obscured his face and she saw a pleasant look filling in his features.

"Madam Rosmerta," the man spoke calmly. "I do apologize for my companion's..." he paused in thought as though he was formulating the appropriate words to use. "Unusual behavior," he finished speaking with a small smile as his blue eyes twinkled.

The woman's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore. Oh my goodness gracious! I didn't know it was you!" She exclaimed and placed a hand over chest as if she was on the verge of having a heart attack. "You scared me a good lot. Now, I don't want to pry to any of your 'business', but would you mind not scaring some of my customers?"

The Headmaster raised a brow at her. He didn't comprehend what she meant. Nonetheless, he obliged to her request. His gaze followed suit, irises sweeping over to the numerous occupied tables and chairs inside the Three Broomsticks.

"Of course," he politely replied. Their entrance might have appeared too intimidating for the usual crowd. Then he smiled to the woman once more before heading back to his companion. He casually raised his wand, casting a silent Muffliato after conjuring their robes to look less conspicuous. A black cloak definitely did not appeal to his eccentric taste. Although, it was clearly necessary at the moment.

As soon as the older wizard reached the table, the man in front of him asked in meek irritation. "What was that about?" He grimaced as he took a swig of his firewhisky and slammed the glass hard on the table.

Dumbledore chose not to respond to his question and decided to go straight to the point. "Now, Raphael it's best if we discuss this matter calmly and collectively. As you know, I still have other matters to attend to and I do like to keep intelligent conversations with my guests even the ones I had presumed to be long dead," he replied, eyeing Raphael as he took his sixth shot of firewhisky.

" _Fine,_ " the man, Raphael relented in annoyance after draining his drink and running a hand through his tangled, greying hair. "Honestly, Albus. I don't know what to do," he admitted and the Headmaster was briefly shocked with the sheer despondency in his voice.

The younger wizard's forehead creased heavily. Lines and wrinkles that were probably a result of the looming war was etched on his face, giving him the appearance of someone a decade older than what he was supposed to be.

"Then, tell me. What are you hiding?" Dumbledore's blue eyes bore right through him over his glass-rimmed spectacles. He released a little bit of his magic onto his fingertips, wordlessly casting a stronger silencing spell in place of the Muffliato so that no one would hear or know of this conversation.

There were a lot of things that needed to be answered. What was Raphael doing here? Why was he still alive? What did he want with him? _Why now_?

And why did he agree to meet with him instead of turning him over to the Ministry of Magic?

He was no fool. He knew this man was dangerous. He was a Death Eater and he belonged in Lord Voldemort's inner circle. His terrible crimes would have guaranteed him a cell in Azkaban and even worse – a Dementor's Kiss had he not cleverly faked his own death, Dumbledore suspected.

Raphael tensed under the wizard's scrutiny. After all this time, he still was not sure if he could put his faith in Albus. There was something about the man that unnerved him even though he could not explain what it was. He did not have a choice. His older brother trusted him. So therefore, he should try. He owed his family that much.

"Leonardo..." his voice broke and the name died on his lips.

In an instant, with just that name alone... all of the questions that were troubling Dumbledore's mind had been forgotten as if he had been Obliviated. He could not form any coherent response. Leonardo was a very good friend of his. He became lost in thought, trying to maintain as much of his composure after hearing his friend's name in such a long time.

The man watched his expression but did not speak. He remained quiet, giving the older one time for his private mourning. When he already had enough, he broke the silence. "Leonardo and his wife, Dione were killed a few years ago in Italy, leaving their only child – a daughter, _my_ _niece_ , all alone. I fled and took her with me before Voldemort would have found out about her."

"Niece? _Impossible_!" Albus' voice rose slightly in disbelief. "You were the last remaining descendant of the House of Shafiq. A time when your bloodline was wiped out completely following the many deaths in your family and before your supposed death."

He knew he did everything in his power to protect Leonardo from the pureblooded families who were recruiting him as a Death Eater. Voldemort wanted to utilize his friend's talent and ancestry in a way that had enticed Raphael to join the Dark Lord's cause. For the Shafiqs were a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, one of the only, truly pureblooded families in all of Britain. However, one day Leonardo simply vanished without a trace.

"I had to hide her, Albus! You wouldn't understand!" Raphael responded agitatedly to defend himself. His emotions were already getting the best of him as much as he tried to control to his temper. "My brother cut you out of his life because he didn't want you to be involved with our personal demons any longer. He hid in Italy and met a woman there. They fell in love and had a child."

"This child... where is she?" Dumbledore's reaction was unfathomable. This was completely absurd. There was too much information to process in a span of minutes and it was overwhelming him.

Raphael exhaled loudly and closed his tired eyes. "Safe in the place only you and my brother would know about."

He nodded at this. Even in death, Leonardo was still a clever man. Although, Voldemort's power was nearly limitless at this point. Sooner or later they would come and find her. The older wizard knew what could happen to those who crossed Tom Riddle. His former student never forgot a grievance. "She won't be safe there much long," he gravely admitted.

"I know that!" The younger man was almost enraged with his answer. "Look, there isn't much time. I-I need you to keep her safe. _Protect her_ ," he was begging at this point. He held the Headmaster's gaze, letting him see how severe the situation truly was. "If not for me or for my niece, do it for Leonardo." The bitter expression and desperation was evident in his tone and it mingled in the black of his irises.

Dumbledore's eyes did not waver from his friend's brother. A span of years and aging could not conceal the physical similarities between the both of them. He noted how Raphael's face resembled his dead comrade and yet, all the while remained different from Leonardo. "Leonardo will always be a good friend of mine. You don't have to use his name to bargain with me. I will not hesitate to lend my assistance to his daughter even to you, as well."

"It's hard to remember kindness when you're on the brink of the war. No one will extend a hand without expecting something in return," Raphael replied bluntly, but Dumbledore could see past through his pretense and knew how deeply grateful he was at that moment.

"Expect my visitation in the coming days. We shall travel to Hogwarts. It will be much safer there–"

But before he could continue, Raphael had snapped again. " _You_ of all people should realize that there are Death Eaters in-training in your bloody school! Bringing her there would only cause more danger!" He knew it. This was a mistake. He should not have contacted Dumbledore.

He stood up, eager to leave the table and storm off when Dumbledore chortled. "It seems that even a few years of hiding could not lessen that temper of yours. Thankfully, it gave you a fiery passion to care so much for those you love. Seeing as you have so many options for the safety of your niece, by all means don't let me keep you, Raphael." He gestured toward the exit.

Dumbledore's curt remark made Raphael pause, turning his face into a shade of purple. He was struggling to keep his face neutral while he stood stiffly against the wall. He made no indications of leaving so the older wizard took it as a sign to continue speaking.

"I am not usually this harsh, Raphael. You must know that I have no plans on compromising the wellbeing of…" Dumbledore quirked a grey brow at him. "What is her name?"

"Callista." Raphael bit back a retort.

"I see… _Callista_. I will watch over her but this doesn't mean I am willing to compromise the wellbeing of my students and fellow staff members. I cannot leave Hogwarts," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly.

Raphael's face fell and he slumped himself back on the seat. In a way, he understood the Headmaster's sentiments. Because, this was something his brother would have done if he was still alive. He remembered a time when Leonardo stood by Dumbledore's side, defending the castle grounds during the Global Wizarding War.

"Forgive me." He placed his palms on his face and begrudgingly conceded defeat. "I will leave Callista in your care."


	2. Callista

**Hey guys, the reason the rating is M for this fic is because as the chapters progresses the themes will be darker, edgier, and more angsty. It will contain (in the future) explicit? sexual scenes, language, and such. Callista suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has episodes of anxiety, depression, as well as paranoia.** **I don't glorify any form of disease or illness but rather give awareness to the real victims suffering from this.**

 **Now, let's get on with the show :)**

 **Edited: Jan. 11, 2019 ~ I'm on a roll ;)**

 **P.S. I added some bits and pieces originally part of this chapter before that got removed. I tweaked it and put it back coz it's crucial to the plot.**

* * *

As promised, Dumbledore made his visit to Mould-on-the-Wold – the present location of Raphael and Callista. This was the place where he lived during his youth. A time before his family relocated to another village, brought by the attack on his younger sister, Ariana. He immediately shook his head at the bitter memory. Only Leonardo and Grindelwald knew of his past.

He took out a small piece of parchment from his dress pocket with Raphael's handwriting on it and followed the instructions written to track their modest home. He found the cottage with no difficulty but he was clearly impressed with how strong the anti-apparition charms were in the area and the wards surrounding their home. He felt the raw, powerful, and juvenile magic pulsating through the air like electricity. It reminded him when he was in his prime.

He knocked on the door and was greeted by Raphael who was ushering him to go inside. "Albus! Quickly, come in."

"Would you like something to drink?" He inquired as he offered Dumbledore a seat.

"Tea would be lovely, Raphael," Dumbledore mused as he sat on the chair while Raphael excused himself to oblige the older man's request.

Dumbledore did find it a bit unusual to see his friend's brother behaving anything but temperamental and presumed it was because of Callista. Then, Raphael emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray of biscuits while levitating a pot of tea, tea cups and saucers.

He waved his wand, using magic to prepare tea for them both. He was doing it in such a smooth, fluid manner. It was an obvious sign that even in drastic conditions, he effortlessly carried himself like a true descendant of a rich, aristocratic, pureblooded family.

"Thank you." Dumbledore took a quick sip from his sweetened tea and spoke, "You have quite a lovely home, but where is Miss Shafiq? I would like to get acquainted with her before we apparate back to Hogwarts."

Raphael set his tea cup aside and hesitated for awhile. "There is something you must know about Callista."

"What is it?" Dumbledore looked bemused.

"She has trust issues. Severe trust issues." Raphael was struggling to speak, unsure if this was something he should share about his niece.

"She experienced great pain and suffering at a young age. She used to be cheerful, affectionate, and shared so much of her love to her parents and myself. I'm sure you're quite familiar with the demise of our bloodline, but her parents' murder was the last straw. After that incident, she became withdrawn. The spark in her eyes vanished. She even ran away from home when she found out I was talking to you. She thought I was going to abandon her." He sighed and shook his head.

Dumbledore pondered over Raphael's words but something about the younger man's demeanor made him stop and realize he was battling something inside him. "You didn't tell her about the curse?"

"How did –" Raphael's eyes widened for a few seconds. Then, he quickly regained his composure, for it was Dumbledore. Somehow the man would always find out about the truth in the end. "Of course, I told her. An ancestor was cursed and these things randomly appear through generations. That's why I didn't have children. I'm going to die soon. I can't protect her anymore, Albus."

"It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." Dumbledore simply stated.

"I am not afraid, though. I welcome death as repentance for the crimes I've committed in the past. I just don't want to leave her like this. I can't. Although, I do not fancy the thought of being murdered," Raphael chuckled darkly. "I'm the last thing she has left of a family. It's a good thing Callista charmed this cottage very well. I think it's best if I stay here for the time being."

"You mean she conjured this advanced form of magic?" Dumbledore was surprised.

"She did," he nodded with a sad smile. "That's the other reason why I fled Italy and hid her away from Voldemort. Her magic is different. It's _unique_... unlike anything I've ever seen before."

* * *

"What are you talking about, Uncle?" A girl not older than fifteen or sixteen gracefully walked toward the two men in the sitting room.

Her movements were precise – calculating, giving just enough space between herself and the man to attack in case he showed any sign of deceit.

Dumbledore was amused. This girl reminded him so much of his friend, Leonardo. She moved with an air of elegance and poise. She held her chin high and proud, showing no form of intimidation or fear to this foreign man before her. Physically, she must have resembled her mother. She was extraordinarily beautiful, it was dangerous.

Dumbledore did not need to use Legilimency to know what she thought of him for her eyes already spoke. Her shining, amber eyes were hostile and suspicious and continued to pierce him even as she blinked her long, dark, lashes.

"Callista, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was your father's good friend," Raphael said in a way to calm his niece.

" _Was_? No wonder it's in the past tense. He only showed up now that Father's dead," Callista spat the words. Her tone was harsh and bitter, but her voice sounded like wind chimes.

Raphael was about to open his mouth, though Dumbledore stopped him. "No need to worry, Raphael. I think Miss Shafiq and I need a little bit of time to talk. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Of course not." Raphael stood up and placed a hand on Callista's tensed shoulders. "Behave. Your father didn't raise you to act this way." And then, he left.

"Miss Shafiq, I am glad to finally have met you." Dumbledore smiled at her but her face remained blank.

"I am impressed. I can tell that you are a gifted, young lady. Where did you receive your education?"

"I was home-schooled," Callista retorted but her tone was less harsh than before.

"Ah. Your parents must have taught you well. Hogwarts will be pleased to have you." He stood up from his seat and made his way to the garden at the back. "Would you care to join me outside?"

Callista frowned. This man acted as if he had already been in their home before. She did not respond but reluctantly followed him outside.

Dumbledore gazed at the blooming flowers before him and touched a rose bud. "Miss Shafiq, can you make this rose bloom for me?"

She looked at the man whose eyes were twinkling with kindness. She was trying to analyze him. Was this all a facade? Suspicions and doubts were already forming in her mind.

Callista lifted her finger to touch the tip of the bud and suddenly all the flowers in the garden were in full bloom. "Child's play," she spoke, although her eyes remained mistrustful as she stared at him.

Dumbledore remained nonplussed from her scrutiny. "That's the thing about magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible to you." He chuckled with his hands behind his back and continued his slow steps around the garden.

"I do not wish to buy your trust, but there are some things better left showing than telling. Have you ever heard of Legilimency?" Dumbledore asked.

Callista pursed her lips as though she was trying to recall something from memory. "Father must have mentioned it before, but I am not good at remembering spells."

"Then, how were you able to perform such advanced anti-apparition charms and wards?" he was intrigued.

"It's in my mind. Words only understood inside my head but I can't say it out loud. I always feel it. It's everywhere... the _magic_ –" Callista forced her mouth shut and stopped talking. She was surprised at herself for sharing more than necessary. It was strange. His presence reminded her of her father.

"Astonishing," Dumbledore commented but observe the girl's discomfort from her movements.

"I am no enemy, Miss Shafiq. I care for the safety of you and your uncle." He crouched down and took Callista's hands and placed it on his temples. "See for yourself."

And like a fog of smoke being pulled, Callista was sucked into Dumbledore's mind. She witnessed in great detail the friendship between Dumbledore, her father, and a man she did not recognize. Memories of their times together at Hogwarts, mischief and mayhem, accompanied by more serious events like the Global Wizarding War. Dumbledore carefully allowed her to only view specific memories in his mind that concentrated on his friendship with Leonardo. These were some of his cherished memories he never shared with anyone.

When she was released from his mind, Callista's heart rushed with so many emotions. She could not describe the sheer happiness she felt seeing her father in a way she has never seen him before. Stubborn tears began to fight its way in her eyes. "Thank you, Professor." She finally acknowledged him.

"It's my pleasure, Miss Shafiq." He gave the girl a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"My name is Callista," she corrected him and squeezed the hand of the older wizard who gave her one of the most precious gifts she would remember forever.


	3. Meeting the Marauders

**Edited: Jan. 11, 2019**

* * *

Three young, carefree, sixteen year old boys were seen making their way out of the Quality Quidditch Supplies store in Diagon Alley.

"Must we always visit this store every time we're in Diagon Alley?" A tall boy with light brown hair and faint scars on his face groaned. It's not that he didn't appreciate Quidditch, he just didn't see the point of always visiting the shop, knowing his friends would have practically almost every item in store.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Moony?" A lean boy with untidy black hair and round glasses playfully placed his arm around Remus.

"He's at it again, Prongs. Full moon's coming up. If it's not that, maybe he's having a Bloody Mary," a darkly handsome boy with long, curly black hair snickered with casual elegance.

"Knock it off, Padfoot," Remus sighed as he saw James laughed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was just not in the mood.

"OK, enough jokes. Have any of you heard from Peter?" James asked his two friends while they were walking along the busy streets of Diagon Alley.

"I sent him an owl this morning but he didn't reply. He must still be busy taking care of his sick aunt," Sirius responded as he brushed a stray curl away from his face.

The three Marauders were purchasing their supplies for fifth year at the last minute, since another term at Hogwarts would be starting in a couple of days.

"Isn't that Professor Dumbledore?" Remus pointed to the direction of a tall, old man with a graying beard.

"What the bloody hell is he doing in Knockturn Alley?" Sirius wondered as he caught sight of Dumbledore, leisurely walking along the narrow, sketchy, alleyway filled with shops and vendors, selling all sorts of dark objects and artifacts.

"Look! He's with a girl and they're entering a shop." James nudged Remus who was right next to him. "Let's follow them."

They quickly made their way to the dodgy, congested streets of Knockturn Alley and stood a few feet away from the shop they saw Dumbledore and the girl entered.

"Do you see them?" Sirius asked while they were leaning against a crumbly, old masonry trying to avoid detection as they continued spying on the pair.

"Not quite. I can't see what they're doing. The bloody lamp post is blocking my view," James answered, a little irritated.

"Sneaky ol' Dumbledore, who knew he had a child out of wedlock? I could've sworn the man was celibate." Sirius was gobsmacked.

"I think you're overreacting, Pads," Remus snorted as he tried getting a good look at the shop. "But she did looked old enough to be a student our age."

"Think about it, Moony," Sirius answered as he faced Remus. "It's the first time we've seen Dumbledore here and don't you think there's something suspicious about their actions?" Sirius gestured to the shop, unaware that Dumbledore and the girl were already making their way out.

Sirius continued, "OK. So, if she's not his child… Oh, fucking Merlin! Don't tell me she's shagging an old man!" He yelled before James and Remus could clamp his mouth shut.

When they heard an amused voice chuckle, "Mr. Black, what a pleasant surprise. But I'm afraid I didn't quite catch what you were yelling."

The three Gryffindors jumped in surprise as they saw Dumbledore standing behind them with a knowing smile on his face.

"Er- hello, Professor Dumbledore," Sirius spoke as he tried to hide his embarrassment by avoiding to meet Dumbledore's gaze.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Lupin. You two are here as well, but I don't think fifth years are in need of any supplies in Knockturn Alley," Dumbledore said in a calm tone, though his eyes were twinkling in mischief and humour at the boys.

Callista watched as Dumbledore spoke to them but she didn't approach them. She immediately thought of the boys as mischievous, annoying, and should not be meddling in other people's affairs.

"Yes, Professor. We were just passing by." James flushed in embarrassment. It was surprising how they all fidget and become tongue-tied whenever it was Dumbledore who caught them in the act.

"We'll see you at Hogwarts then, Professor," Remus added as he dragged the two boys back to Diagon Alley.

Dumbledore merely waved at them as they left. He turned around when he felt Callista approach him. "They're good-natured, you know. It will be nice for you to make friends."

Callista scrunched her nose as if she was smelling an awful stench. "I don't like them. Especially that boy with the long, curly hair." She most certainly heard what Sirius said about her and Dumbledore.

"If you say so." Dumbledore decided not to press the issue. "Are you sure you can continue shopping by yourself? I know I promised Raphael I'd bring his potion soon but he wouldn't want you wandering on your own."

"I'll be fine, Professor. You've already helped me purchase most of the things I need. All that's left for me to buy are books and robes," Callista assured him as they slowly began entering Diagon Alley.

"And a wand," Dumbledore reminded her.

"Must I? I never really felt the need to use one," she grumbled. She wasn't enthusiastic of the thought of waving a stick.

"My dear girl, of course you do!" Dumbledore almost sound offended. "A wand is an extension of yourself, it is an extension of your magic!"

"Very well, if you insist." Callista pouted.

"And if there will be any trouble, I'll be glad to offer some financial aid," Dumbledore said.

"Oh no, I couldn't professor!" Callista shook her head. "Uncle has already transferred some of our accounts from Italy and I'm sure he's told me we still have an existing one in Gringotts," she guaranteed him. She was already grateful enough to the man who was a good friend of her father, and she would never abuse him.

"Then, I'd better get going. I wouldn't want Raphael to suffer any longer." Dumbledore inspected the potion in the bag he was holding.

"Thank you, Professor," Callista stated more for her uncle, rather than herself.

"Be safe," Dumbledore said in a fatherly way, and apparated.

* * *

"Do you think he heard me?" Sirius asked the two as they waited for James' parents who were inside Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions. Fleamont was accompanying his wife, Euphemia, who was busy purchasing some beauty potions.

"I don't think anyone within a five mile radius missed it, Padfoot," Remus laughed at Sirius, who groaned and looked as if the earth was going to swallow him whole.

"I'm sure if Dumbledore heard it, he'll just laugh it off." James tried to stifle his giggles to reassure Sirius but it wasn't convincing. Instead, his mind thought of the girl with Dumbledore. He almost forgot she was there. But before his thoughts could ponder anymore about it, his parents arrived.

"Would you boys care for some ice cream?" Fleamont asked with his wife standing next to him.

James and Sirius quickly agreed and followed James' parents to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Hey, Prongs. Tell Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I'll catch up with you guys. I still need to get this book," Remus told James.

"Sure thing, Moony. We'll get you something on the way out," James replied as he tried to casually trip Sirius while they were walking.

"Thanks," Remus said as he saw Sirius elbowed James on the ribs as he made his way to Flourish and Blotts.

Remus entered the shop. He was clearly thrilled he'd saved enough money for this title. He approached the shopkeeper for the book he was looking for. The shopkeeper pointed to the shelf on the left and told him it was their last copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard.

He promptly spotted the last book and grabbed it, unbeknownst to him someone was also holding the other end of the book.

Remus tugged on the book but he felt a resistance while someone's hand held on tighter.

"Bloody hell."

He was starting to get impatient so he looked down at the person who was apparently a foot shorter than him and his eyes widened. It was the girl with Professor Dumbledore from awhile ago!

He noticed the girl's face was symmetrical. She had a straight nose, full lips, and pale skin that was partially covered by her wavy, auburn hair.

Her vibrant, amber eyes were hard and menacing. She was glaring at him fiercely but even as her face contorted in exasperation she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Remus loosened his grip on the book but he didn't let go. He didn't know what came over him because he couldn't stop gazing at her. Like a moth to a flame, he was drawn to her eyes. Every part of her was simply captivating, hypnotizing and completely maddening.

Feeling like he already stared too much, Remus blushed and turned away.

Callista, however, misunderstood his behavior and did not want to back down. She was already wasting enough time and she just had to bump into one of those annoying gits.

"If you're done with this staring contest, I believe I want this book back." Her tone was acidic. Although, it still managed to sound pleasant to the ears.

"Oh right, you can have it." Remus pushed the book toward her, momentarily forgetting the reason he was there. "I didn't know you were a fifth year."

Callista's head snapped back at his direction and her eyes were narrowed into slits but she didn't say anything in return. She simply went to the counter to pay for the book and stomped out of the shop.

She began furiously mumbling to herself as she was walking the streets. Suddenly, a solid male figure accidentally bumped her and made her drop her purchases.

"Sorry, miss. Didn't see you down there," the male voice chuckled as he crouched down to pick up Callista's things.

Annoyance started to creep its way again under her skin when she recognized the mop of messy hair and round glasses. He was also one of the boys from earlier.

She scowled at him and yanked her bags from his hand and started to walk away.

For a moment, James was surprised with her reaction. Then, he suddenly remembered her. "Ah yes, we've met earlier. My name is James Potter. How may I be of service?" He quickly managed to block her path in three, easy strides.

"You can _move_ out of my way." Callista's face was ominous and there was a hidden threat to her words. Why in Merlin's name, must she keep running into them?

James' proud face twisted into a mischievous smile and inched closer to her. She was briefly caught off guard by the sudden closeness of his face but she quickly masked it again perfectly. However, James was able to catch it. He didn't know why though, at that very moment, he enjoyed angering a girl he barely knew.

Upon closer inspection, James noted that she was exceptionally beautiful, similar to the classic, aristocratic beauty Sirius inherited from the House of Black. Only there was something about her that felt eerily abnormal he wasn't sure if it was good or bad. Although, her whole persona was simply so enchanting and inviting, he stood rooted to the spot, unable to gaze away as if he was stuck in a trance.

Trying hard to shake off those thoughts, he grinned at her smugly. "Make me."

With those words, Callista's amber eyes flashed like they were on fire. Her nails dug painfully against her palms, her shoulders started to tremble for she was trying to control her sudden, irrational anger against this arrogant, pompous prat.

Just as she was about to hex him, another male voice spoke, "Prongs? We've been looking for you."

And as soon as she recognized this boy's voice, she knew immediately he was the one who screamed she was shagging Dumbledore.

Callista shoved passed James and locked her angry eyes at Sirius who was now with Remus.

"You!" she spat the words at him and looked up at him furiously like he was some kind of Murtlap.

Sirius didn't know how to react to the girl's fuming behavior and raised his eyebrow at James. James shrugged his shoulders so Sirius nudged Remus. "Is she one of the girls I've shagged before?"

And the last thread of patience finally snapped, Callista hexed Sirius.

"Ow! Bloody woman! What did I do?" Sirius yelped as he felt the powerful stings on his skin.

James noticed the nonverbal magic Callista performed. He was perplexed because she was not even holding a wand, but he decided not to mutter a word.

"Can't really blame her hostility to you, Padfoot. After you've basically informed the whole street she was shagging Dumbledore," Remus spoke although, just like James he noticed it too.

And finally, Sirius recalled who she was. Still a little pissed at receiving a hex, he halfheartedly approached the livid witch and said, "Fine! I'm sorry. Are you happy now?"

Callista eyed him severely. "I'll be happy if you get out of my face. It's _repulsive,_ " she enunciated every word in disgust and stormed off.

As soon as she left, James and Remus broke in unbelievable laughter, they were already in tears.

Nobody would ever believe the expression on Sirius' face at that moment.

"Finally! A woman not captivated with your charms. I didn't think I'd live to see the day." James started wiping away fake tears in mock empathy.

Sirius was obviously angry. His ego and pride was crushed by the little stunt that girl did. "She wasn't all that caught up with you either," he snapped at James.

"Ah, but she didn't say my face was repulsive," James reminded him.

"She most certainly did not," Remus agreed.

"You lot are a bunch of pricks." Sirius gave up. There was no point fighting with them.


	4. First Day at Hogwarts

**IMPORTANT: In this story, Lily Evans is a half blood and is sorted into Slytherin with Snape.**

 **Btw, the timeline concerning Malfoy, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Alice and Frank Longbottom, as well as the others like Antonin Dolohov, Corban Yaxley etc as students is a little confusing. But I really enjoy their characters so I'm putting them in my story as well as incorporating other familiar characters who haven't been sorted in canon.**

 **Edited: Jan. 11, 2019**

* * *

James and Remus were heading back to their compartment inside the Hogwarts Express. The two had already donned their robes and James began his yearly tradition of hexing innocent students much to the disapproval of Remus, however, the latter also participated in.

"We've searched every compartment known to man in this train, Prongs. I think it's time to stop," Remus grumbled. He was a little exhausted due to James' continuous pestering.

"I'm telling you, Moony. I'm not giving up," James responded as he opened the door of their compartment. If only they hadn't run into the pointed face, blond albino, Lucius Malfoy. A Slytherin seventh year prefect. He should have known the greasy git, Snivellus, ratted them out. How James would've love to hex the living shite out of them. He would of course, once they reach Hogwarts.

"It's about bloody time you two showed up," Sirius complained as his long legs were resting on the opposite seat next to Peter. The two were also wearing their robes.

"We would've arrived here sooner if you sorry sods actually helped," James replied, pointing a finger at Sirius and Peter while he and Remus took a seat.

Sirius eyed James incredulously and his voice started rising. "I'd rather run my fingers through the greasy slime Snivellus calls hair than waste my time looking for some stuck-up, high maintenance…" He tried thinking of a proper word to describe Callista. "– _banshee_ , that Godric knows might not even be going to our school!"

"I personally think a banshee would die of happiness to have her looks," James said matter-of-factly, ignoring Sirius' rising temper next to him.

"What's got Pads all worked up?" Peter wondered as he began opening a box of chocolate frogs.

"A girl," Remus spoke, stealing a piece of chocolate frog from Peter and popping it in his mouth.

"Figures," Peter muttered as Remus handed him the collectible card from the chocolate and picked up his book.

"Not in the way you expect it, Wormtail." Remus grimaced as he remembered their failed encounter with Callista. "She wasn't too fond of Sirius."

" ' _Not too fond'_ , Moony? Shall I remind you that that girl happened to hex me?!" Sirius diverted his growing temper to Remus.

"Pretty amazing too the way she casted that nonverbal stinging jinx at you," Remus said, unfazed while he continued to read his book.

"Plus she also screamed at you and called your as you say, 'remarkably handsome face', repulsive," James chimed in. It was funny to see Sirius all worked up over a girl.

"I don't think you need to constantly remind me of what she said about me, James," Sirius retorted. The nerve of that girl to mock his appearance just because she looked a little bit better than the other girls. If there was one thing he was proud to inherit from his family, it would have to be his looks and she was just too blind not to see it.

"A first time for everything," Peter laughed.

Sirius frowned at him and exhaled noisily. "Thank Merlin, I will never see her again." He slouched back and folded his arms.

This made Remus contemplate as he registered Sirius' words. "I think she might also be a student here. We did see her with Dumbledore."

"Wouldn't that be wonderful? Something to look forward to this year." James stretched his arms and placed it behind his head. He really had a good feeling that he would be seeing Callista soon.

"I didn't have the chance to tell you mates..." Remus placed his book down. "I actually met her at Flourish and Blotts. I've been saving up for Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard. A book we need for our fifth year and it turns out it was the last copy. We picked it up at the same time and I gave it to her since we kept tugging back and forth–"

Remus was not done speaking when Sirius cut him off in sheer indignation. "Shite, Moony! You shouldn't have fallen for her tricks! She's a conniving, manipulative fox! It's every man for himself! You should've gotten the book for yourself!"

"Calm down, Padfoot! You're gonna blow up my bloody eardrums!" Peter protested and covered his ears from Sirius' outbursts.

"To be honest, I didn't know what came over me. I'm not talking about the book, although…" Remus scratched the back of his neck and blushed. "I _stared_ at her, like a bloody fool with my eyes wide and my mouth open." And he groaned at the thought. "I think it lasted for a full five minutes. I know this may sound odd, but I couldn't pull away. Something about her drew me in and she gave me this unsettling feeling. Like a drug… you know it can kill you but you still want it."

"I know what you mean," James told him.

"No Prongs, you don't," Remus argued. "And don't you tell me she's a Veela, Wormy. Because I can tell she's not," he added to Peter who was about to say something.

"I do," James repeated. His face was unreadeable as he adjusted his glasses. Remus' description felt uncannily similar to his own when he had encountered her. The sensation was strangely delicious but at the same time it felt really dangerous. It was as if he were a timid prey lured into the clutches of a murderous, seductive, intelligent predator.

"What?" Sirius asked. He didn't know where this discussion was heading.

"I felt it too," James simply said.

"You mean?" Remus was in disbelief.

"Yes." James met Remus' shocked eyes. "In some ways, something about her doesn't feel human."

There was a moment of silence.

"What a bunch of rubbish," Sirius unexpectedly scoffed. "Anyway, can we please stop talking about her? I'm kind of looking forward to my welcome-back-to-school snog with Meadowes and I would like to stay in a good mood before it happens." He brushed away the bizarre turn of conversation and effectively changed the topic.

* * *

Callista was lounging in Dumbledore's chair. Her legs were dangling from the armchair as she swayed back and forth from under her school robes. She was at the Headmaster's Office which belonged to the current headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. It was a large and beautiful circular room.

Callista's eyes surveyed a number of curious silver instruments that stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. She also saw the walls filled with portraits and paintings of previous headmasters and headmistresses, whom they all looked to be asleep. Though, what caught her attention was a beautiful bird with crimson feathers on its body; its claws, tail, and beak gleamed of gold. The bird was sitting proud on his perch.

She carefully approached the bird, awed by its beauty and majesty. The bird sensed her presence, though it did not attack her. Instead, it bowed its head in recognition. Slowly, her fingers reached out to stroke its soft feathers.

"I see Fawkes has taken a liking to you," Dumbledore said as he entered the room.

"Fawkes? What a beautiful name." Callista continued to stroke Fawkes.

"A phoenix is a highly intelligent bird, extremely loyal and courageous. Therefore, it's not easy winning its trust, but Fawkes seems to be forming a bond with you." Dumbledore smiled.

"Thank you, Fawkes," Callista said wholeheartedly as she looked in the phoenix's black eyes. The bird chirped in response.

"The students are already filling in the Great Hall. I suggest we make our way there as the Sorting Ceremony will begin." Dumbledore ushered her out of his office.

Callista's heart began strumming rapidly in her chest due to anxiety as she and Dumbledore descended the spiral staircase.

She firmly grasped the new wand she had gotten from Mr. Ollivander two days after her disastrous encounter with the Marauders. It was vine wood, 11 ¾ inches in length with a phoenix feather core. She never had a wand before, but her new wand felt good in her hand.

She also vividly remembered her Uncle Raphael earlier that day before she had arrived with Dumbledore in the castle grounds. He was practically begging her to ride the Hogwarts Express with the students in the hopes of her to adjust well to her new environment and even make friends. He wanted her to at least experience a normal childhood, away from her troubled past. She adamantly refused her uncle's annoying persuasions and suggested she apparated with Dumbledore to the castle grounds. She laughed when she thought her uncle popped a vein whilst trying to control his temper.

She couldn't risk the idea of seeing the three boys on the train because she knew for certain they were also students here and she would very much like to keep her first school year in peace, quiet, and away from them.

* * *

All of the students gathered in the Great Hall to witness the Sorting ceremony held every year before the start of the term feast. Each of them took a seat at their respective house tables.

James sat next to Peter while Sirius and Remus took the opposite seats in front of them. He quickly scanned the room filled with clueless and excited first years who were lining up in front of Professor McGonagall, waiting to be sorted. His unwavering optimism of spotting Callista was still intact even if he hadn't seen her yet.

"Bridgestone… Camille," McGonagall announced and a short, young girl with braids shyly made her way to the front of the stage and sat on the stool as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

" _RAVENCLAW_!" The hat bellowed and soon, applause from the Ravenclaw table was heard as they welcomed a new addition to their house.

And more names were being called out from McGonagall's long scroll but there was still no sight of Callista.

"Flounder… Elijah"

" _GRYFFINDOR!_ "

"Lowell…Marie"

" _HUFFLEPUFF!_ "

"Sebold…Christopher"

" _SLYTHERIN!"_

And with that, the ceremony was finished.

James sighed and realized it was a mistake. He would not be seeing her. His hazel eyes drifted to the front of the hall where he saw Professor Dumbledore make his way to the stage and whisper something to Professor McGonagall.

The older witch nodded and joined herself to the table where the other professors sat.

Dumbledore with a twinkle in his old blue eyes declared happily, "To our new students, welcome, to our old students and fellow faculty members, welcome back! Before we start the feast, there is someone I'd like to introduce to you all…" He gestured with his hands a new, unfamiliar face that elegantly made her way to the front and stood next to Dumbledore.

"Fucking Merlin! I knew it! She's bloody here!" James furiously whispered while excitedly gripping Peter by the collar of his robes. Sirius' mouth just tightened in a thin line as he shook his head in disapproval toward James.

"Settle down, Prongs. You'll snap Wormtail's head off," Remus tried to keep his voice low from across the table. "Besides, didn't we already deduce the possibility of her being here?"

Callista felt vulnerable and uneasy as hundreds of eyes stared at her and watched her every movement. She also felt the stares coming from the three familiar boys especially the one with the unruly hair and round spectacles who couldn't contain his excitement. She didn't want any of them to think she was intimidated. No, because she never showed weakness. Callista lifted her chin high and proud, carrying herself with an air of dignity, poise, and grace. An act that can only be executed by one of the truly old and noble houses of the ancient, pureblooded families in the wizarding world.

She met the students' incoming gazes equally and confidently as Dumbledore continued introducing her, "This is Miss Callista Dione Shafiq. A pureblooded witch from the noble House of Shafiq. Her father, Leonardo Shafiq, was a good friend of mine who fought during the Global Wizarding War, aiding in my triumphant defeat against the dark wizard, Grindelwald. Her mother, Dione Shafiq, was also a talented witch. I am her guardian and I would like you all to please welcome her." With that, he ended his speech.

The students and faculty members gave their applause. Professor Slughorn looked positively pleased from his seat.

"It looks like you've got some stiff competition, Zabini," Antonin Dolohov, a seventh year from the Slytherin table made a snide remark as he watched Dumbledore personally placed the Sorting Hat on Callista.

Eleanor Zabini, was a sixth year student sitting across from Dolohov. She was famously known for her beauty and nothing else. "What are you implying, Dolohov? Are you trying to say that girl is better looking than me?" She spat in absolute revulsion.

Callista was nervous as Dumbledore placed the Sorting Hat on her head but it was replaced with shock when she heard the hat speak to her. "My, my Callista Dione Shafiq... never in my long life have I witnessed such a very unsettling and depressing history coming from a young girl like you."

"Then, _stop_ reading my mind!" She irritably snapped back at the hat.

"Feisty little witch, aren't you?" The hat laughed. "Your troubles and experiences molded your very traits today. Such as being conniving, manipulative, intuitive. The list goes on and on... Slytherin will suit your ambitions well."

"I refuse to be sorted to the House that nearly wiped my family name from existence," Callista argued with the hat. Flashbacks from her parents' deaths and Raphael's continuous suffering flooded her mind.

"What's this? Is it revenge I sense from you? Mixed with reckless bravery and courage to fight for what you believe in? Do you think Gryffindor is a better match for you?" The hat asked her.

"It doesn't matter. Just sort me anywhere but Slytherin," she grumbled in impatience to the hat.

Rabastan Lestrange, a fourth year fellow Slytherin watched as the hat was deciding unceremoniously slow in which house to sort Callista and asked, "Wasn't her father Leonardo Shafiq killed by the Dark Lord's followers when he fled to Italy?"

"She seems rather peculiar," Lily Evans, a Slytherin student said with morbid fascination. She was a pretty, fiery redheaded witch with beautiful, green eyes.

Bellatrix Black, who was seating next to Lestrange did not hide her complete distaste. "What a disgrace to the pureblood name. She's obviously a blood traitor like my pathetic cousin, Sirius."

Regulus winced slightly as he heard his older brother's name. He tried not to show it as he felt Narcissa agreed with Bellatrix because she too added, "No wonder the hat placed her in the despicable House of brawn without brains."

They all heard the Sorting Hat screamed Gryffindor while thunderous roars and applause emanated from the Gryffindor table next to them.

Lucius Malfoy mused, "I believe her relative, Raphael Shafiq was once a Death Eater. My father said he was killed in battle serving the Dark Lord." He drummed his fingers across the table. His middle finger was fashioning a golden serpent ring adorned with magnificent green emeralds that was a precious Malfoy heirloom. "Shouldn't we help her decide where her allegiance lies?" He smiled malevolently at Corban Yaxley, Millard Avery, Osbert Mulciber, and Amyctus Carrow.

"I'd be glad to test her myself." Yaxley gripped his wand tightly as licked his lips, his eyes maliciously travelling all over Callista.

"Don't be selfish, Yaxley. Mulciber and I are here." Avery clearly wanted a piece of her. She was extraordinarily beautiful and he wanted to break her. To sink his fingers into her lovely, untainted flesh while she screamed and begged him for mercy.

"Actually, a ladies welcome from the Slytherins would be more befitting. Wouldn't you agree Bellatrix, Narcissa, and of course you too, Alecto?" Lucius raised his eyebrow at the three girls who responded with confident, arrogant grins on their faces.

"But, of course." Bellatrix's eyes drifted to Callista. A murderous smile on her face.

"What do you think, Snape?" Alecto found his lack of participation unusual.

"I think it's foolish," he said to her, while impatiently waiting for the feast to begin. Secretly, he was pleased Lily had no interest in participating with the girls.

The Slytherins knew that behind Lily's docile and feminine demeanor lies an extremely sadistic personality no one could ever imagine. This trait only manifested itself when something would catch her attention.

"What did you say?" Malfoy's tone hardened as all eyes bore into Severus Snape.

"In case it escaped your notice, it seems that Dumbledore has a close relationship with her. It'll be too soon to act. Executing a poor attempt will result in nothing but displeasing the Dark Lord," Snape answered with no hint of intimidation seen on his face.

"You never fail to surprise us, Snape." Amyctus smirked.

* * *

Callista's eyes widened and her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest again as she saw the genuine smiles, laughter, and cheers of the students from the Gryffindor table beckoning her to join them. She looked over at Dumbledore for reassurance and he gave her a small nod.

"Scoot over, Peter." James hurriedly pushed Peter from the seat while he tried to make room for Callista. She watched him in annoyance as he tried leaving her a generous space next to him so she sighed in defeat and sat herself in between the two boys.

"Hey, Shafiq. Congratulations on getting sorted to the best house Hogwarts has to offer!" James grabbed her soft hand and shook it vigorously. A wide smile was plastered on his face.

Callista simply stared at him. Her eyes focused on the hand James hadn't let go.

"Oh, you might have forgotten my name." James dejectedly thought as he ruffled his messy black hair and looked away.

"Sadly, I had the misfortune of remembering your name, _Potter._ " She snatched her hand from him. "In case I felt the need to hex you," she mentally added to herself.

"Excellent!" James beamed at her, showing off his perfectly white teeth. "You've already met Remus Lupin." He pointed to Remus who gave her a small smile. "Sirius Black." In which Sirius gave no reaction or recognition to her presence but she didn't care at all.

"And the one next to you is, Peter Pettigrew," James finished as he introduced a short, chubby boy, with a round face and mousy brown hair.

"Oh _joy._ Are there any more of you I should be aware of?" Callista sarcastically commented. As if three mischievous boys were not enough for her.

Out of the blue, a female voice joined in the conversation. "Quit hogging her, Potter and introduce the lot of us will you," she muttered in mild rritation.

James laughed. "This is Alice King." He gestured to the girl who just spoke. "The one next to her is Frank Longbottom. On the opposite row are Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon, while on your right are Amelia Bones and Benjy Fenwick, both seventh years."

They all gave her a welcoming smile and Callista appreciated it. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said sincerely.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "So, she can be friendly with them," he mumbled under his breath.


	5. Charms

**For future references, all characters with the same surnames will be addressed by their first names like the Blacks (Narcissa, Bellatrix, Sirius etc.) to identify each individual properly but it doesn't indicate familiarity or intimacy from the person who addresses them (not unless the sentences will imply that way ;D) just so not to confuse the readers. Characters like Avery and Mulciber have no canon first names so they will be introduced as Millard Avery and Osbert Mulciber. Alice Longbottom doesn't have a canon maiden name so I chose King instead.**

 **In addition, this chapter gives a slight insight to Callista's trauma/fear/insecurities which shall be dwelt on deeper as the story progresses. As I've said previously she suffers from a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has episodes of anxiety, paranoia, and depression, but she hides the latter well. And another reminder, I don't glorify any form of illness or disease.**

 **Edited: Jan. 12, 2019**

* * *

Earlier that evening, all the fifth year Gryffindor students including Callista had been ushered to the Gryffindor Tower by the newly appointed prefect, Remus Lupin. All of the students stood in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady as Remus muttered the password, "Leo Fortis" – which was Latin for brave lion.

The portrait swung forward to reveal a round entrance in which they all scrambled through it. The Gryffindor common room contained a beautiful fire place in the center, adorned with a portrait of a lion. It was surrounded by stuffed armchairs, a large chandelier dangling from the ceiling, velvet tables and a bulletin board where school notices, ads, posters, could be posted.

Crimson and gold colors filled the room which also included two doors with a mahogany, spiral staircase leading off to the boys' and girls' dormitories.

Before heading to bed, James intentionally blocked Callista's way from entering the girls' dormitory, towering over her petite form as he leaned casually against the door frame.

"Goodnight, Shafiq. See you tomorrow." He flashed her his winning smile that surely made all the girls swoon while ruffling his already messy, raven hair.

He simply earned a disgusted scowl from her as she gracefully sidestepped him to follow Alice and Mary to their rooms. This resulted in a confused Peter, a clearly annoyed Sirius, and a tired looking Remus who dragged James' sorry arse into their own dormitory.

Although, the frustrating antics of James Potter was the least of Callista's concerns once realization hit her as she continued to stare at the red and gold ceiling of her four poster bed. This was what Raphael had been warning her about and she hated to admit it, but most of the time her uncle was right. She shouldn't have been so flippant about it.

Sprawled on her bed, she tossed and turned helplessly only to see that her new dorm mates – Alice and Mary have both been sleeping soundly.

She pushed back her curtains, casted numerous, wandless silencing charms and forced herself to shut her eyes closed while trying to calm her nerves.

Within less than a minute she bolted up right as a horrendous scream escaped her mouth. Her heart was painfully hammering from her chest as sweat began to bead its way on her forehead. She felt her magic seeping from her skin, growing strongly malignant and unstable in the air surrounding them.

Callista knew it. The nightmares would always follow her and it constantly got even worst now that Raphael was not there to hold her and soothe her while she slept. The traumatic incidents of her childhood, the haunted look of her parents' faces right before they died, the pain and suffering kept replaying over and over again inside her mind. The hardest part of it all was that for the first time she would have to face it all on her own.

She desperately hoped that she had enough will power to control her unstable magic before she could hurt more people.

She quickly scrambled out of bed, afraid of the things she could do and the horrific images plaguing her thoughts. She dashed out of the door to the common room, her robe forgotten. Her arms instinctively wrapped around herself once she was greeted by the chilly, night air.

"Couldn't sleep, Shafiq?"

Callista looked up to the direction of the male voice who was quirking an inquisitive brow at her.

"Lupin?" she asked.

Remus nodded. His long legs were resting on top of the table and a book was in his hand. He gestured her toward the sofa which was next to the fireplace because she was shivering from the cold and lack of robes.

"Yes," she cautiously admitted though she avoided his gaze as she sat down.

"Is something wrong?" He wondered as he placed the book on the table. Callista was behaving rather strange and as much as he didn't want to pry into other people's business, something inside of him was bothered to see her like that.

Callista was undoubtedly terrified of being alone at that moment and even if she would hate to admit it, she was grateful for his presence. He was the sanest one out of their ridiculous group, after all.

She bit her lip and gulped. "W-would it be alright if I stay here with you?" She was fidgeting with the edge of her night gown while she tried to distract herself from the embarrassing declaration of her words. Thank Godric, it was not Potter who was there.

Remus blinked for a few moments and merely gaped at her. He expected a lot of things to come out of her mouth, nasty things to be honest, but this completely caught him off guard.

She looked at him intently, patiently waiting for his reply. Her beautiful, amber eyes were piercing and penetrating his thoughts.

"O-of course, I mean this is the Gryffindor Common Room. Anyone is permitted to stay," he stuttered as he was being sucked in by her intense gaze. "But technically not everyone is allowed here. As you can see there are no Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs. Well, why would they be here since they have their own common rooms–" Remus kept rambling so he forced himself to stop when he felt a blush creep on his neck. Cursing Merlin under his breath, when did he get so lame talking to a girl?

"Thank you," Callista said genuinely. Her voice sounded like wind chimes. She didn't seem to mind Remus' incessant ramblings. She didn't look annoyed or irritated like she usually did which puzzled him. She actually looked relieved by his answer.

"I guess this is the first time you didn't scowl or yell at me while conversing," Remus chuckled as he saw her small body curving like a ball on the sofa.

"Don't get used to it, Lupin," she quickly told him off except this time it was a playful tone.

And before Callista knew it, she had fallen asleep without any trouble. Remus gazed at her sleeping form and the feeling that made its way inside his chest before began to resonate louder than ever.

She was really beautiful. There was no doubt about that. Her flawless, porcelain skin illuminated like the moon from the fire place. Her long, thick lashes resting perfectly against her closed lids. Her crown of wavy, auburn hair resembled blazing flames that matched her fiery personality. And her angelic face, sleeping so peacefully as he watched the gentle rising and falling of her chest.

Remus brushed those thoughts aside. He didn't want to be attracted to her. Who would fall for a repulsive werewolf like him, anyway? Definitely not a pureblooded witch from one of the most noble House of Shafiq. He removed the blanket from himself and wrapped it around her. He gently lifted her sleeping form into his arms, shocked by how light she was and made his way over to the girls' dormitory.

One of the perks of being a prefect was knowing the counter spell on the staircase so the charms didn't work on him. He laid her on the only empty bed which would certainly be hers and went to his own dormitory.

Remus didn't plan on telling the other Marauders about the counter spell to the trick step in the girls' dormitory though, especially with Sirius' outrageous womanizing escapades.

* * *

A couple of weeks after the Sorting ceremony and majority of it due to Dumbledore's excessive introduction of her plus her other worldly beauty did not help her either. Callista instantly became the center of attention for the male students at Hogwarts. Much to her complete obliviousness, James' apparent irritation, and Zabini's blatant jealousy over being outshone.

And in spite of Callista's frank tongue and intense uptightness, Alice King and Mary McDonald seemed to truly like her, which baffled her beyond belief. Sure Callista was not a megalomaniac, Muggle murderer like Voldemort or his bloody Death Eaters that cursed her family to their demise, but she was not kind either.

She was always suspicious of everyone's actions around her. She wanted to know the girls' true motives about her which she would have to find out soon enough. Besides, she did not even know the first thing of being a friend. She never had one that's for sure.

Callista also didn't understand her strange relationship with the Marauders, since that's what they would call themselves, along with their silly nicknames to each other. James continued to bother her whenever he got the chance which left him with a number of nonverbal hexes.

She never uttered a word to Sirius. Yet, it was not like she had something to say to him. He merely grunted or grimaced whenever James was with him when the latter would often find embarrassing ways to try and impress her. And Peter, well he was too intimidated to talk to her.

She seemed to soften up a bit to Remus though, ever since that first night. They never talked about it and she assumed he hadn't told anyone. Although, she was thankful whenever she went out of her dorm to find him there in the common room like he was waiting for her.

* * *

Callista was taking her time walking along the school's corridors to their next class which was Charms. She expertly avoided James' attempts at walking her to class and opted for the company of Alice and Mary even if she hadn't gotten used to those two yet.

"What seems to be troubling you, Callista?" Mary tried to peek over the petite witch's shoulder.

Callista was busy studying her time table for that year. "I think Professor Dumbledore has gotten a little overboard with fixing my class schedule." She frowned internally when she remembered Dumbledore persuading McGonagall to give him the liberty of choosing what subjects she'll have to take. He clearly was taking his guardian role a little too seriously.

"Bloody hell. No kidding!" Alice was shocked to see Callista's time table a lot fuller than hers and gave the girl a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder.

The three girls made their way to Classroom 2E located along the Charms corridor on the third floor. The classroom had three rows of desks, all facing the teacher's table with two blackboards and behind them was a small shelf with books and other objects, beneath a pair of windows.

Callista's amber eyes navigated the room, looking for empty seats before a pair of exaggeratedly waving arms and a mop of messy, black hair in spectacles caught her attention. James Potter was motioning to the empty seat next to him and behind him, sat Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

She gave him a scathing look and rushed over to the seats Alice and Mary found.

"I really don't know why you keep trying, Prongs." Sirius shook his head when he saw Callista took a seat beside Mary. He was then reminded of the conversation he had with his bespectacled best friend a few days ago.

 _"Stop wasting your time, mate!" Sirius threw his arms in the air with exasperation. "She's probably just some stuck-up pureblooded witch like the rest of my damned family with all their pureblood supremacy bullshite." His fists clenched tightly as he recalled that now even his younger brother Regulus, turned against him, as well._

 _"Then, why the bloody hell is she in Gryffindor?" James gave him a challenging look. He was already getting fed up with all the nonsense Sirius had been spouting on about Callista. "She would fit perfectly in Slytherin if she lived up to those ideals, wouldn't she?"_

 _"Ask the Sorting Hat," Sirius snapped back. "She must have convinced it to place her elsewhere. Godric, knows that's what I_ – _," Suddenly, he frowned when James gave him a wide grin. "She isn't like me, Prongs. You know how hard it is with my family."_

 _"I know, Padfoot. Moony, Wormtail, and I will always be here for you." James gave his curly haired friend an understanding look. "But, don't you think there's more to her than just a pretty face and an old family name? Besides, I'd like to think it was destiny that brought us to her that day we met her in Diagon Alley."_

 _Sirius simply sighed and waited for the conversation to die. One thing he knew about James was that once he set his mind on something, it would be difficult to convince him otherwise. Well, the reason Sirius kept persuading James from pursuing Callista was because she was just not interested in him. And of course, she was the first one who actually told Sirius he was repulsive looking, which was absolutely untrue._

 _James was practically every woman's dream, second to him of course._

 _He was a chaser for the Gryffindor team, good in his academics, not bad to look at, and he was such a likeable guy. Imagine how he managed to befriend Sirius, Remus, and Peter. People with such different personalities and struggles and now years later they couldn't imagine being apart from one another._

"There's something about her, Pads," James said, a sullen expression was on his face as his eyes continued to watch Callista carefully preparing her book, quill, parchments, and wand on her desk. Her pale, slim fingers was delicately resting on the table as she eagerly waited for class to begin. She carried herself in a manner that all aristocratic families had, like Sirius – with elegance and sophistication. And she wasn't even trying.

"Is it because she doesn't drool all over you like the rest of the girls do?" Peter wondered as he waited patiently for Professor Flitwick to enter the room while the rest of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students occupied their seats.

James turned around from his desk and gave Peter a menacing glare which made the latter swallow hard from anxiety.

Wormtail had a point, James thought, but he was not going to tell him that. He was a chaser, he liked the chase. It was honestly refreshing to see someone unaffected by his charming good looks which seemed to motivate him to try even harder. And there was really something mysterious about her that he wanted to find out.

"Good afternoon, students!" Professor Flitwick, the Charms Master happily greeted the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students as he entered the classroom.

Callista noticed that he was a tiny, little wizard who was standing on a pile of books to see over the class. Apart from this, she truly enjoyed sharing the subject with the Hufflepuffs. They were a cheerful and friendly bunch which were probably a few of the house traits they valued.

"Okay class, today's lesson will be about Silencing Charms," Flitwick began as he looked over his students. "Can anybody tell me what a Silencing Charm is?"

"Ah yes, Mr. Lupin!"

"A Silencing Charm is a charm that renders the victim temporarily mute," Remus answered.

"Good, five points to Gryffindor!" Flitwick then took out his wand and demonstrated. "Wield your wand like so, and recite the incantation – Silencio." He pointed his wand to a Gryffindor student in the front row who instantly became silent.

"As you all know, Hogwarts is a school that promotes interhouse unities so let us pair you all into twos." Flitwick smiled amicably to the class and soon started calling names.

"Peter Pettigrew and Bertha Jorkins."

Peter eagerly stood up and made his way over to the Hufflepuff student who was a slight, plump girl. He almost tripped himself in a nervous pace to reach her desk that made his cheeks turn into a shade of crimson.

"James Potter and Alice King."

Alice groaned. Why couldn't she be paired with that cute Hufflepuff boy, Stamos Travinski? Well, at least she wasn't the only one who was miserable. Apparently, James had another partner in mind as she observed his longing gaze at Callista.

"Remus Lupin and Pomona Sprout."

Remus courteously walked over to the Hufflepuff's desk and began arranging his things.

And soon almost all the students had been assigned a partner which left... "Sirius Black and Callista Shafiq," Flitwick ended his roll call.

"What?" Sirius almost convinced himself he heard wrong.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Black?" Flitwick wondered.

"Nothing at all, Professor." He gritted his teeth. Why in the world should she be paired with him? The girl obviously hated his guts, why couldn't Flitwick see that?

Callista saw how Sirius really disliked being her partner. "Good," she thought and made her way to his desk to spite him.

She gave no indication of acknowledging his presence and simply set her things on the table.

On Flitwick's instructions they should practice Silencing Charms on each other. Sirius scanned the room and saw all of the students busy with their partners, casting spells on one another. Even James was serious about it as he saw him practicing with Alice.

Well, James was apparently trying his best to impress Callista since he kept stealing glances at their table every once in a while, hoping she would notice. Though, apparently she didn't.

Callista made no effort to participate with Sirius and chose to bury herself in her Charms textbook she was reading.

Sirius decided to take matters into his own hand and he surely didn't want to get into more trouble with Flitwick whom he still owed detention. "Er, why don't we try practicing?"

Callista turned away from her book and raised an elegant brow at him.

"You can go first if you want," he offered and gestured to her wand.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You go and let's get this over with." She was impatiently eager to get back to her book.

Sirius waved his wand at her and said, "Silencio," in which Callista, instantaneously fell silent but the spell was not strong enough so it didn't last long. He casted the spell a number of times and when he finally had done it perfectly he undid the charm and motioned for her to go next.

Callista looked straight at Sirius and waved her hand, casting a nonverbal Silencing Charm at him.

It would have gone perfectly well hadn't Professor Flitwick noticed what she was doing. "No, Miss Shafiq. I've told you many times to use your wand and now, say Silencio." He picked up her vine wood wand and placed it firmly in her hand.

Callista's eyes widened in a panic as Flitwick continued watching her. She still wasn't used with her wand and she was never good in pronouncing spells that was why she never casted verbal magic.

Hesitatingly, she wielded her wand as she muttered, "S-silencio," and pointed it at Sirius. It didn't take awhile before the unsteady magic made its way to Sirius but of course, Callista knew that whatever she did, it was wrong because his head started to swell.

And Sirius' head started swelling at an alarming rate which made Callista burst in a fit of giggles. Not only that, James, Remus, and Peter caught sight of him and also wasted no time chuckling until the whole room erupted in laughter.

"Now, class stop it!" Flitwick tried to control the students' loud noises and waved his wand to shrink Sirius' head into a normal size.

Sirius gave her a seething scowl from embarrassing him though, she didn't seem affected by it. She probably deserved it anyway.

"Now your head is not as big your ego," she giggled at him. Her voice sounded so pleasant, far from her usual hostility that Sirius couldn't find it in himself to retort.

Before classes had ended, Professor Flitwick told Callista to stay behind for a few minutes to chat with her.

"Miss Shafiq, are you having trouble casting spells? I've seen you struggle these past few weeks in my class." The short, old professor looked genuinely concerned.

Callista felt mildly irritated because she thought he was belittling her. "I'm just having trouble reciting the spells, Professor. And I'm trying to get used to my wand." She sounded defensive but she tried keeping her emotions at bay.

"Is fifth year too advanced for you? I'm sure Dumbledore placed you here given your age. But if this will cause problems in the future, might I suggest you decelerating? We cannot afford a student to fail their O.W.L.S," he told her sincerely.

"I can do it, professor." She waved her pale, slim hand in the air and casted the Silencing Charm that was much stronger without her speaking and silenced the tiny wizard.

"Marvelous, my dear!" Flitwick told her as he undid the spell. "Although, I'm quite disappointed you haven't told me about your talent of nonverbal magic since we haven't tackled that subject yet. It's still far too advance for fifth year, I believe." He gave her a small chuckle.

Callista merely blushed at his statement while he continued, "However, you shouldn't disregard the basics. It's also important for you to learn how to cast spells verbally and wielding a wand helps your magic become smoother and more refined."

Suddenly, an idea popped in his head as he looked at her. "I know! Mr. Black owes me detention and he is exceptionally good at Charms. I'll tell him to give you a hand. It's a good thing I paired you two together." Flitwick smiled to himself as he realized that he made a good suggestion.

Nonetheless, he didn't see the horrified expression plastered on Callista's face at that moment. "Honestly, Professor. I think it's unnecessary. I'm sure I can catch up if you give me extra credit." She tried bargaining with him.

But it seemed like Flitwick already made up his mind. "Nonsense! I'm sure Professor Dumbledore expects no less from you," he replied and ushered Callista out of his classroom.

* * *

"So, tell me again why I should teach you basic spells that even first years can perform?" Sirius sarcastically asked her after Callista yanked him inside an empty classroom when she saw he was alone trying to flirt with a blonde Ravenclaw. He still did not understand the ludicrity of him teaching her.

"I didn't ask for this and for your information, I can perform the spell!" She hissed at him as her amber eyes carefully watched out for any curious bystanders. Thankfully there were none. "I'm just having trouble pronouncing the incantation and I don't know how to wield my wand properly..." she shyly confessed as her voice trailed off in a whisper at the last part.

"How in Merlin's name do you not know how to wield your wand?" Sirius scoffed at her. Was this her idea of irritating him because he was already losing his temper.

"It's because I never had the need to use one!" Callista wanted to shout the words at him but she didn't say it, instead she sneered at him. "If you have nothing else to do but ridicule me, I'm leaving." She started picking up her bag and heading for the door. She shouldn't have wasted her time with this annoying, curly haired prat.

"You don't want me to help you?" Sirius asked. It was clear on the look on her face she wasn't tricking him so he kind of felt bad for his unfriendly demeanor.

Although, this only made her blood boil. "I know perfectly well you don't like me, Black." And he slightly flinched from the venom in her voice. "Believe me, the feeling is mutual. So I'll do us both a favor and simply lie to Flitwick and tell him you already taught me."

And before he could stop himself, he muttered, "And what if you suck again? More sessions with you? I don't plan being associated with you a daily habit."

His eyes quickly snapped at her, mentally kicking himself for the insensitive choice of his words. Merlin, why did he always have to be a git?

He was about to apologize to her but she beat him to the punch. "I'm sorry for pissing on your parade then! I didn't know my presence alone could be so disgusting enough you wouldn't want people to see me with you!" Callista screeched at him, trying to brush off the mild hurt his words have inflicted on her.

Sirius begrudgingly admitted, "Look, Shafiq. I didn't mean it. The words came out wrong." He was shifting uncomfortably, trying to avoid the murderous glare she was giving him. "I just don't like James to get any ideas."

So this was about _Potter_?! This seemed to aggravate Callista even more. "What in Godric's saggy balls, are you talking about?!"

Sirius thought this situation was already getting out of hand, so he fiddled with something from his pocket and stuffed in Callista's hand. "Here, a peace offering."

She opened her palm and saw a small, beautiful crystallized snow that was transfigured into a shape of a dog. Its different colors were bouncing off in the light. Callista was at a loss for words from his unexpected gesture and simply stared at him.

She never received anything like it, and why was it transfigured into a dog, for that matter? Though, she snapped herself out of her abrupt trance. "You think you can bribe me with random trinkets?!" She wanted to shove the item down his throat, no matter how amazing the crystallized dog looked.

Sirius exhaled loudly in defeat. Merlin, this woman was so difficult. The first time he had actually given something to a girl that was sentimental to him and she was already ungrateful.

"No," he said but in fact, he meant the opposite.

Before Callista could even continue with her shrill arguments, Sirius cut her off, "C'mon, enough of this. I'll teach you already so you won't have to enlarge my head so often."

He led her out of the classroom, ignoring her loud protests and praying to Godric's grave that he would survive the day.


	6. Potions

**Edited: Feb. 12, 2019**

* * *

"I know I've been convincing you to try and be nice to Shafiq," James told Sirius as they were making their way to the Potions classroom, situated in the dungeons of the Left Viaduct Tower. "But you both have been rather chummy these past few weeks, is there something going on between you two?" His brows furrowed in deep thought behind his round glasses. James evidently had a thing for her. Though, he still wasn't sure at to what extent.

"Flitwick signed me up to help her with Charms, Prongs," Sirius sighed while shaking his head. "She's terrible at casting verbal spells and wielding her wand. I've never seen anything like it." He gaudily remembered being sent numerous times to the hospital wing due to Callista's awful performances. Even Madam Pomfrey wasn't surprised anymore to see him there. Accidents with her happened more frequently compared to setting up pranks with the Marauders. Thankfully, it wasn't anything life-threatening.

"She can't be that bad," Remus chuckled as he saw Sirius frowned in contemplation. The feisty girl was causing him stress.

"She singed my hair once when we were practicing a Lumos spell! A _Lumos_ spell!" Sirius' voice was practically rising as his hands instinctively reached out for his perfect black locks. "Shafiq almost burned a damn classroom! McGonagall saw what was happening. She thought we were trying to set the place on fire. Then, she gave us a bloody detention!"

This caused James, Remus, and Peter to burst into fits of laughter over Sirius' distress which caught the attention of the three Gryffindor witches who were also on their way to Potions class.

"Bit of a drama queen aren't you, Black?" Alice teased Sirius while Callista and Mary tagged along.

"Mind your own business, King," Sirius annoyingly grunted in response while Remus gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. Remus looked over at Alice, his eyes telling her to ignore his behavior.

"What are you boys talking about?" Mary inquired as the group of boys and girls all walked together to class as James nonchalantly tried moving closer to Callista.

"Ugh…" James, Sirius, and Remus cleared their throats as their eyes darted quickly to Callista, then, they immediately looked away.  
But Peter obviously did not recognize the memo.

"How Shafiq burned Padfoot's hair and they got detention," he happily answered which earned him a thump on the head from James and a threatening glare from Sirius. Remus merely groaned and smacked his hand on his forehead.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Your bloody, puffy hair was in the way!" Callista irritatedly poked Sirius and her amber eyes were narrowed slits.

"Stop poking me!" Sirius exclaimed. "And my hair isn't puffy! You just didn't do the spell properly!" He was trying to dodge Callista's attempts of stabbing him with her fingers.

Just as Callista was about to retort, an elegant male voice drawled, "What do we have here? Fifth year Gryffindors loitering in the hallways?"

A pale boy with long, platinum blond hair was scrutinizing them from head to toe as if he was simply looking at dirt.

James clenched his fist while his other hand wrapped itself around his wand, waiting to hex this pompous snake. Remus' jaw tightened. His inner wolf was howling in aggravation while Peter stood there in fear.

"We were on our way to class, Malfoy," Sirius gritted his teeth as he rushed forward to face him, so they were on eye level. Sirius was almost as tall as Lucius so the Slytherin didn't have to look down at him.

A look of smug determination was on Sirius' face. Malfoy knew that Sirius was not one for verbal confrontation. His fists simply did the talking. The blond snake had the misfortune of coming into contact with his barbaric punches earlier that year when the curly haired boy found out he was betrothed to his cousin, Narcissa.

"For a Black, you sure don't have any manners," Lucius jeered at him. "I expected a little more respect coming from my underclassmen." A wicked smirk was on his lips then his emerald eyes rapidly found Callista.

He disinterestedly brushed Sirius aside and approached her. "So, you are the famous daughter of Leonardo and Dione Shafiq." His gaze was intrusive and malevolent, as if he was trying to cement her stunning features in his mind. "Your beauty indeed surpasses you." His eyes lingered longer than Callista would have liked.

Lucius felt like a magnet being pulled into her and he could not stop himself. The aura she gave off was very enticing and dangerously alluring he could not point out why.

"But it is rather shameful. It would be much better if Raphael was your father," he struggled to find his voice after that bizarre feeling he had. He was also very aware that her uncle was once a Death Eater.

Callista could feel the malice, curiosity, and cruel humor in his face. How dare he mentioned her family after everything they had endured?

Her expression was tensed and she could feel her unsteady magic crackling inside her with fury. She controlled herself, masking her face into a look of indifference and boredom. She drank in his appearance, mimicking his actions from earlier. He had pale skin, a strong bone structure prominent from aristocratic families. And long, platinum blond hair which was tied neatly into a ponytail.

Her fiery, amber eyes noticed a green and white tie. "Slytherin," she scoffed. No wonder. And atop his robes rest a proud, shiny badge of a seventh year prefect.

"Actually, it's you I find quite a pity." Her eyes flashed in mock empathy at him. The blond boy simply raised an intimidating brow at her, so Callista continued, "You seem to know so much about me and yet, I don't know who you are." A mocking look was on her face as she falsely tried to remember who he was.

"I beg your pardon? I am Lucius Malfoy. Son of one of the wealthiest wizards of this time, Abraxas Malfoy. Our family is one of the oldest and most noble pureblooded houses in society!" He spat the words at her, affronted by her rude comment and ignorance.

"I am well aware of the House of Malfoy and Abraxas was once an acquaintance of my father." Her ivory chin lifted confidently in the air with poise. "Though, he never mentioned anything about a son." Her devilishly beautiful face contorted to a sadistic smile. "You must not live up to your family name if your father deems it insignificant to mention you," she finished and fluidly pushed him aside while he remained stunned by her words.

"Better shut your trap, Malfoy," James taunted Lucius. "You wouldn't want to catch flies. They don't know where your mouth has been."

Callista clearly won this round, but somehow she knew Malfoy would be back with a vengeance. "Bring it on," she thought. As if a pointed face, blond albino could scare her especially after everything she had been through. Besides, he obviously did not know what she was capable of.

The fifth year Gryffindor students finally reached the Potions classroom which was one of the large dungeons in Hogwarts. Its walls were lined with pickled animals in glass jars and in one corner of the room stood a basin into which ice cold water poured from a gargoyle's mouth, while in another was a student supply cupboard.

Callista grumbled impatiently in her seat when she noticed that they were sharing this class with the Slytherins. Alice and Mary looked worriedly at each other as they sat on both sides of Callista.

They even saw James, Remus, and Sirius, staring anxiously at the auburn haired beauty over their desks, sensing her hostile energy even from across the room.

"Good afternoon, class!" A jovial and enormously fat, bald, old man entered the room. He was short with an immense stomach that the buttons on his waistcoat usually threatened to burst off.

Alice tried to stifle a giggle at her observation of his round belly and masked it with a cough when Callista and Mary gave her inquisitive looks from their desks.

This man was Professor Slughorn, the Potions Master, and the Head of the Slytherin House. Callista didn't know how she felt about him. He was an overall pleasant man though, he seemed to be always leeching off of the company of the famous, successful, and powerful students in his class.

"Would you look at that?" Professor Slughorn watched his class proudly, arms on his hips. "Slytherin and Gryffindor students for today!" He was visibly scanning the room, looking for his latest recruits to his Slug Club even though he tried doing it discreetly.

When he took notice of the Gryffindor student in the front row. "My word, Callista Dione Shafiq. It's truly a pleasure to have you as my student this year. Shame the hat didn't sort you in Slytherin. No matter, I'm sure you will do amazing things just like your father!"

His smile broadened, oblivious as Callista shifted uncomfortably in her seat, knowing full well he would start talking about Leonardo again. "I was a student of his before. What an exceptionally talented man he was! A gifted and excellent dueler, very knowledgeable in the Defense Against the Dark Arts, as well," he boasted joyfully and tapped the young witch on her shoulder.

"Bit of a stretch of recognition for an old man who died the way he did if he was so bloody great."

Callista's head snapped at the direction of the arrogant voice who spoke at the back row.

Of course, the wizarding world knew of her parents' deaths. Yet, none of them knew they had a daughter together. Although, no matter how many years had passed, Callista would never forget what had happened to them. It still pained her tremendously and she would do everything in her power until revenge was served.

A menacing glint flickered in her eyes toward the two boys who were snickering – Osbert Mulciber and Millard Avery. Severus sat next to them with apparent disinterest on his face but a faint amusement was on his lips.

The girl beside him, Lily, flashed her a perverse smile, revealing a flawless set of teeth. Callista instantly glared at her coldly. How could she smile at her like that?

She saw most of the Slytherins repressing their laughs once she bore a deadly gaze into each one of them. She was memorizing their faces with loathing and derision. A dangerous tension filled the air. She felt the malicious energy erupting inside of her waiting to be released.

"You dare make fun of my father's death, Mulciber?" Callista's beautiful voice percolated with venom. " A brave man welcomes death as if it were an old friend. Your ignorance of the matter is heavily atrocious," she gracefully taunted him with a malevolent sneer. "Your father must be too busy being screwed in the arse by Voldemort if he couldn't even manage to educate you properly." Her scornful look did not waver from him as the room gasped and flinched with the mention of the Dark Lord's name and the sexual connotation of his father's association with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"You vile bitch!" Osbert Mulciber exploded in anger as he raised his wand to strike her. The Marauders, with the exception of Peter, all stood up instantly in an attempt to stop him, wands drawn out at the same time Millard Avery and Severus launched theirs as well. Lily watched the whole intense commotion without batting an eyelash, behaving like uncivilized ruffians was obviously below her.

"Enough!"Professor Slughorn was very furious as he stepped in between the two parties. Confiscating their wands, he disappointingly said, "Detention all of you!"

When something awful started happening to Mulciber. He started convulsing as he collapsed on the floor, his wand forgotten. He was clutching his throat, gasping for air while his mouth began to froth and the black irises in his eyes were turning into a shade of white.

The whole class started to panic and Professor Slughorn looked absolutely frazzled. "You boys take him to Madam Pomfrey at once!" He hurriedly ordered Avery and Snape to send Mulciber to the hospital wing.

"Class dismissed!" Professor Slughorn called out to the students and speedily made his way to find Professor Dumbledore.

Lily stood up gracefully from her seat, her hair was brushing against her shoulder. Her brilliant, green eyes met Callista's fiery, amber ones and the red-haired witch gave her a hostile scowl.

"She knows," Callista thought as she felt her heart pierced inside of her. Lily made her way to the door, her hips swaying enticingly slow as she headed for the hospital wing.

Callista immediately got her books, dumped it all inside her bag, and stormed out of the room. She ignored the perplexed stares from Alice and Mary. She was clearly upset at herself. She did it again, she did something awful and she had no intention of doing it. Her magic was to be blamed. It did horrible things to people and she could not control it.

Remus watched her retreating form. He had a terrible feeling Callista had something to do with Mulciber's unexpected condition. He did not really blame her actions because the stupid Slytherin provoked her when she was already in a bad mood. Although, he knew there was something that was definitely not normal about her, something beyond the boundaries of being human. And how could she casually address You-Know-Who without fear or dread?

James also had the same look in his eye as he met Remus' gaze when the werewolf held him back because the messy-haired boy was about to follow her. She obviously needed to be alone at that moment and his presence might do worse than good.

Even Sirius could feel that there was something truly wrong about her. He couldn't imagine that there was a person more fucked up than him.


	7. Payback

**Thank you to those who clicked follow/favorite, please continue doing so. I know James/OC pairings are rare and most people from the HP fandom don't like the idea, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to take a shot at it because I am really fond of his character. I am a so-so a fan of Jily, tbh. I took the liberty of editing most of my chapters because I felt that I may have left a few details I wanted to impart. And as I've previously mentioned, Lily Evans will now be present in the fic (she is sorted into Slytherin with Snape) as I felt it would be too cruel to just chuck her out of the story completely.**

 **I also wanted to make a shout out to the few kind souls who left reviews: Guests, Curlies, and lightbabe. Thank you so much! I know this fic doesn't get as much loving compared to my other fics, it still won't dishearten me to continue writing this story because I really love the Marauders! Plus, this my first ever fanfic. Still, I would appreciate it if you'd be so kind enough to leave me reviews :)**

 **Btw, just a heads up Callista's Uncle Raphael, is alive and currently hiding in Mould-on-the-Wold (known as the previous home of Dumbledore). Only Callista and Dumbledore know of the truth since all the wizarding world think he is dead.**

 **Edited: Feb. 27, 2019**

* * *

"Hey, King." James half jogged towards Alice and Mary. He quickly spotted the two girls at the second floor and easily maneuvered his way from a sea of first year Hufflepuffs. "Have you girls seen Shafiq?"

He was trying to catch his breath. Remus may have stopped him from running after Callista however, he immediately rushed out of the classroom after a good fifteen minutes. He thought of giving her some time to herself before he attempted to find her.

"No, she made a mad dash as soon as class was over. We don't know where she is," Alice apprehensively replied. Both she and Mary spent their free period looking for her when she didn't show up for their next class. Callista was a very unpredictable person so it was difficult to merely guess her whereabouts.

"Oh… thanks." James' shoulders sagged in disappointed. "See you around, then," he nodded goodbye to the girls. He did not want to seem obvious that he was also looking for her so he began climbing up the rotating stairways to the Gryffindor common room where the other Marauders were.

James found it a bit odd he couldn't find her. Earlier last year, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and himself invented a map to keep track and record of their discoveries around the castle such as, hidden pathways and secret passages which they uncovered while on their Animagus forms as they kept Remus company during his transformations. However, the map was only half way completed since there was still a lot to be discovered inside Hogwarts which made it a mildly unreliable source right now in finding lost people.

"Potter!" Mary hesitatingly called after him, ignoring the silent protests Alice was giving her.

"Yeah?" James quirked a brow as he turned around.

"We'll tell you when we find her." Mary gave him a small smile despite Alice's objections, knowing Callista's clear disinterest towards James.

James felt a swell of relief. "Great!" He gave Mary one of his customary winning smiles in triumph but with less effort compared to the smiles he usually gives Callista. Nevertheless, Mary rolled her eyes at him and Alice huffed in annoyance as they watched the tousled, raven-haired boy smugly strutted towards the common room. Mary almost wanted to take back what she said to him.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked.

"Valor," James replied as the portrait swung open and he made his way inside. There weren't any students inside the common room, with the exception of Remus who was lounging in a velvet, cushioned chair with a book in his hand, as well as Sirius and Peter who were sprawled on the floor, playing a game of Exploding Snap.

"Did you find her?" Remus was the first one to speak, not tearing his eyes away from the pages of his book. He had just arrived in the Gryffindor Tower a few minutes before James did due to his prefect meetings and patrols. Although albeit discreetly, he also had been searching for Callista.

"No, Moony." James slumped himself on the couch and groaned as he covered his face with a soft, crimson pillow.

"You should just give her space, Prongs," Sirius told him as he was looking over his cards.

Peter was carefully watching Sirius make his move and muttered, "Is it true? About her family?"

"I heard a couple of things about it," Sirius replied thoughtfully. He was leisurely taking his time before retrieving a card from the deck to fluster Peter, who was already waiting anxiously for his next attack.

"What _kind_ of things, Pads?" James sat himself upright from the couch. The topic caught his interest while Remus gave Sirius a curious look.

"I don't remember much. Just bits and pieces of it from my mother." Sirius furrowed his brows as Peter made his turn. "She was shrieking madly about how the House of Shafiq was now extinct and it was such a waste of pureblooded ancestry. Apparently like our family, the Shafiqs also belonged to the Sacred Twenty-Eight. But my mother despised Leonardo and his wife – Callista's parents. She was actually pleased they were murdered. She called them filthy, blood traitors. However, she felt some pity over Raphael's death, who like my mother shared the same knowledge and beliefs about pureblood mania."

"So if Dumbledore did not take her in, she would be all alone now," James mulled this over. She lost everyone dear to her. He never knew about this and he felt really bad about it.

"Honestly, Prongs... the way her parents were murdered," Sirius shook his head in disbelief. He recalled seeing the scarring mental image as a child from the Daily Prophet years ago. "It was gruesome and it was recorded as one of the worst deaths in Wizarding history."

Sirius truly hated the bigotry and prejudice from his kind. Callista stayed in the same circles he did. And it made him realize, he might understand her better.

"Did they find the killer?" Peter asked. He was not in the mood to play Exploding Snap anymore. The ambience was depressing.

"No, Wormtail," Sirius answered, "and no one even knew Leonardo had a daughter."

"That explains Callista's hostile and defensive attitude when the subject of her family is brought up," Remus realized it as his lips pressed into a thin line.

It also explained why Remus always found Callista late at night in the common room looking like a mess. She was battling something inside of her, fighting the haunting nightmares she did not want to see every time she closes her eyes.

Remus could remember the relief and gratitude washing over her beautiful face whenever he accompanied her by the fireplace. His presence alone always managed to help her sleep and he smiled to himself because even in his own simple way he was able to ease her troubles.

"It was those arseholes' fault," James angrily spoke, "making fun of her father's death... those insensitive pricks." The antagonism he felt toward Mulciber, Avery and Snape was visibly showing.

He also felt a tiny twinge of jealousy over the way Remus said Shafiq's first name so casually as though they were friends. He made a mental note to himself to ask Remus about it some other time.

"Some nerve they have raising their wands at us in clear view of a professor, no less their Head of House," Sirius added in irritation. He was clearly furious at Snape and his condescending gang of Slytherins, who caused him another detention when it was obvious that he and the rest of the Marauders were only trying to defend Callista.

He would never admit it to her but Sirius was rather proud she stood up for herself and applauded her for her vulgar choice of words against the conceited boy.

Maybe, just like Sirius, Callista didn't share her family's bigoted beliefs and chauvinistic ideals with blood status. Maybe, just like him, she was an oddity who broke away from the standard customs and traditions that was the very foundation of their society. Maybe, just like him, she was also broken.

"Why don't we give Snape and the rest of his cronies a Marauders' payback?" James mischievously spoke. There was an evil glint behind his round spectacles as he looked over at Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

Remus and Sirius gave James roguish grins of approval while Peter sighed in defeat. He knew his objections would be swiftly ignored so he might as well join in on the fun.

Revenge was going to be sweet. Now, all that was left to do was plan the perfect prank to put those pompous Slytherins in their places, right after they serve detention.


	8. Comfort

**Thank you those who clicked follow/favorite! Please continue clicking and reading this story. I'd also like to thank those Guests reviewers for your wonderful feedbacks. I hope you can at least give me a nickname if you don't have accounts so I can address and thank you more personally :))**

 **Edited: Feb. 27, 2019**

* * *

After the unpleasant incident in the dungeons classroom, Callista found herself standing in front of the Headmaster's office. She had no plans of visiting Professor Dumbledore. She was just aimlessly wandering the school corridors without any real purpose in an attempt to calm herself until her feet subconsciously carried her there.

Callista walked toward the stone gargoyle which concealed the entrance to the Headmaster's office and cautiously glanced to her right and left making sure that no one was following her here and that she was alone.

She furtively avoided being seen by Alice and Mary when she found out the two girls were roaming the castle grounds looking for her. She had no clue why they do would do that for her. Callista was still mistrustful and suspicious of their actions.

In addition, she was livid to know that the infuriating James Potter was also anxiously searching for her in every nook and cranny. Thank Godric, she easily evaded him. Honestly, what was it about her that piqued his interest?

When the coast was clear, she uttered the password, "Acid Pops." The gargoyle stepped aside and allowed her entrance.

Callista climbed the moving, circular staircase and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his blue eyes as he caught sight of her. She had a feeling Dumbledore expected her to come by.

"Good evening, Professor," Callista courteously greeted him. She admitted to herself that she was mildly uncomfortable facing Dumbledore at the moment and hesitatingly sat on the seat he offered her.

"Lemon drop?" The old bearded man placed forward a crystal bowl filled with Muggle treats in front of her but she politely declined.

Dumbledore took one of the sugary sweets in his mouth. "Is there anything you wish to tell me, Callista?" He laced both of his hands together on his desk. Callista regularly visited him in his office because Dumbledore requested this of her. Though, now was such an odd hour to do so and it was unusual of her to do such a thing.

"I sort of assume Professor Slughorn filled you in with the details." She avoided his gaze and grimaced when she remembered what had transpired during Potions class.

"Indeed, he has," the old man nodded knowingly, sensing her self-protective nature. He recalled earlier that day, how Professor Slughorn quickly made his way to the headmaster while anxiously explaining what had happened to his student. Then, the two professors immediately headed for the hospital wing.

Dumbledore decided to continue speaking when he saw Callista chose to remain silent. "Professor Slughorn mentioned Mulciber made a crude remark about Leonardo and it unmistakably upset you. Wands were drawn at each other. Then, he experienced some kind of episode," he finished. Although, she was certain he suspected more than just that information.

Callista's vibrant, amber eyes locked on his face. She began searching this old man's visage for answers. What did he think of her now? _Disgusted_? _Appalled_? _Disappointed_?

Apparently, she could not detect any of those. In fact, Dumbledore looked genuinely concerned for her which astonished her.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked her softly. There was no hint of callous judgement nor disparagement to his question. Based on what Raphael told him and what he had witnessed himself not long ago, Callista possessed raw and powerful magic Dumbledore was not sure if she could even control it properly.

"He said awful things about my father and the loathsome Slytherins began laughing. I-I got so angry." Her small hands balled into fists while her shoulders quaked with fury. "I'm not sure what happened after, but he shriveled on the floor convulsing and he couldn't breathe." Callista's forehead creased. She knew it was probably her magic that harmed him.

"I took the time to visit Osbert in the hospital wing earlier this afternoon with Professor Slughorn. Madam Pomfrey said he tried to use dark magic but the spell backfired on him," Dumbledore told her consolingly. Though, Callista knew the old man was no fool and he suspected that she had something to do with it, but he didn't utter a word.

She just nodded at him and averted her gaze once more as her mind drifted to the many troubles bothering her. She built up all these walls around her and she wanted it to remain as it was.

"Raphael is worried about you," Dumbledore spoke again and Callista finally glanced at him.

Her beautiful, ivory face warped into worry and panic after hearing her uncle's name.

"He received the letters you write to him once a week but he told me the last few letters seemed distant. He also noticed the frustrated, harsh strokes of your handwriting over the parchment."

Ever since Callista stayed at Hogwarts, the horrible nightmares from her childhood continued to haunt her in her dreams. Things became very difficult to handle without Raphael's familiar warmth and she was sure her uncle felt this was affecting her.

Every night she was terrified of falling asleep. It had only gotten a little better with Remus' presence. Although, his prefect duties nowadays made it hard for him to accompany her. She had gone to worst after that nasty fight with Mulciber. She spoke nothing of this to her uncle because she didn't want him to worry. He was already suffering from a curse.

"Professor Dumbledore... Do you think it's possible if I could visit my uncle soon?" Callista's amber eyes pleaded with him and Dumbledore could sense that she was trying to bottle up so much of her conflicting emotions she didn't dare show him.

"Of course, Callista. I will schedule it with the next Hogsmeade trip." Dumbledore gave her a kind smile and reached out to firmly grasp her hand. "You can tell me anything when you're ready. I will not judge you." His blue eyes twinkled with sympathy and a clear memory of his friend, Leonardo, smiling at him came into view.

"Thank you, professor," Callista responded in an almost choked voice. Yet, it still sounded like wind chimes. She tried holding back the overwhelming feelings.

* * *

Callista left the Headmaster's office, the painful ache in her chest unwavering. Dumbledore excused her for the classes she had missed for the day and insisted she make her way to the Great Hall for dinner. She obdurately refused though, she had already lost her appetite.

She was almost on her way to the Gryffindor Tower when she paused on her feet. How was she going to face Alice and Mary? For sure they have questions for her. The whole class saw what happened. And what about the Marauders? She was not ready to see them, as well.

Callista decided to take the opposite direction from the tower and absent-mindedly ambled the corridors. She wasn't certain where she was going but she didn't allow her feet to stop walking. Hogwarts was not a familiar place for her. Although, at that moment it made no difference for her whether she got lost or not since she already felt that way inside.

She cared no less whether she could have bumped into any of her Slytherin classmates. The plight weighing on her shoulders was far more exhausting compared to a few, petty house rivalries.

Her heavy thoughts brought her to a dead end and she realized that her legs carried her to the top step of the Astronomy Tower. Callista made her way to the balcony. She had never felt so alone like the dark, night sky she was gazing at that very second. The black gray horizon was absent of the twinkling stars and moon. The depressing setting was similar to her. She was deprived of the pure illuminance to shine in her heart.

Callista felt the protective walls shielding her from the pain crumble as soon as a tear fell on her cheek. She forced herself to be strong, to fight the devastating feelings that threatened to crush her heart and soul, but she couldn't fight it. She was only human after all.

James was really worried now, Callista didn't show up for dinner and she never came back to the common room. She was nowhere to be found. Alice and Mary were fretting hoping she was okay. Sirius and Remus were also concerned even if Sirius was trying so hard to hide it. He knew this behavior was completely unusual for her.

James was about to head back to the common room in the hopes of finding her there. Even though, it would be a long shot when he heard a soft, muffled cry coming from the top of the Astronomy Tower.

James was indecisive at first, whether or not he should follow the weeping voice. He was never really good at handling the female species in tears. However, curiosity got the best of him.

He carefully climbed the stone staircase, making sure not to make a noise that could startle the girl – whoever she was and hid himself behind a stone column as he peeked at her.

She was silently sobbing. Her expression was so devastating as though she had kept all of the agony and suffering inside of her until it all poured out like one rapid waterfall.

James felt his heart pierced painfully inside his chest as soon as he caught sight of her face.

"Shafiq?" His voice broke in surprise then concern as he immediately approached her.

"Potter?" Callista animatedly wiped her tear-stained cheeks in a hurry as she looked up at the messy-haired boy in spectacles with a torn look on his face who was now standing in front of her.

"What's wrong?" James' expression was filled with anxiety and distress. He clenched his fists behind his back, to stop the hand that wanted to reach up and cup her face to calm her. He never saw her like this. It was truly upsetting him.

"Why does it matter to you?" She tried to muster all the venom in her voice but it wasn't convincing him. He already saw past the pretense.

"We're all worried about you. Alice, Mary, Sirius, Remus, Peter… and _me_ ," _Most especially me,_ James wanted to say out loud although, he kept that to himself. He took a step closer toward her. "We've been looking for you all day." He was relieved when Callista did not move away from him but he figured she was too dismayed to notice.

"Leave me alone, Potter! I don't need your pity!" She hissed at him as she tried to control the tears threatening to spill forth as he blocked her path.

Callista tried to shove him away in fury so she could leave. "Get out of my way!" But James did not let her pass and ignored her attempts at it.

She did not need this. _Who did he think he was, infuriating her this much. Now, of all times?_

She was already fed up of his behavior but before Callista could hex him, James' large hands held her wrists in place. "You can hex me all you want. But I'm not leaving you like this," he stubbornly told her. His hazel eyes stared at her with fierce determination. He knew that there was something about her past that was troubling her and he would not abandon her. It was strange for him though, he never imagined himself doing this for anybody except the Marauders, much less for a girl.

His sudden determination made Callista realize he wasn't kidding. He was dead serious and she could not find the strength to fight off his stubbornness. Instead, she slumped herself on the hard, cold stone floor.

James sat himself next to her. She was a bit surprised he made no attempts of accidentally touching her or declaring his abiding affections for her. In fact, they both stayed silent for the remainder of the evening until it was too late.

"Let's head back to our dormitories. Remus might find us here," James chuckled jovially to lighten the atmosphere. He knew his werewolf friend could already be starting his patrols.

Callista did not argue with James whatsoever. She walked alongside him in silence until they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.


	9. Morning Mishaps

"Callista…" a gentle voice spoke and softly nudged her shoulder. "Callista… wake up." The voice repeated and patted her back.

"Leave me alone, uncle," Callista responded drowsily. "I want to sleep." And she buried herself even deeper under her thick, crimson blanket.

Alice and Mary exchanged sympathetic glances at each other as they crouched on the side of Callista's bed while they tried to wake her.

"Callista, it's us. Alice and I want you to join us for breakfast since you skipped dinner last night." Mary tried persuading her again.

Groggily, Callista removed the blanket and a yawn escaped her lips. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms. "Good morning. I must have confused you girls with my uncle." She half-heartedly admitted as she greeted Alice and Mary.

"That's alright. Adjusting to a new school, a new life, and everything isn't all easy." Alice remarked as she remembered Callista entered their dorm room at the middle of the night when everyone was fast asleep.

"In the mean time, why don't you take a shower first? We'll wait for you in the Common Room so we can all have breakfast together." Mary insisted as she tugged Alice's arm to prevent her from saying anything more and led her out of their dormitory.

Callista merely nodded at the pair and made her way to the girls' bathroom after gathering the toiletries she needed.

Living most of her life with her family in hiding, she never really had a chance to experience the luxurious, pampered, and sheltered ways of living like all pureblooded families have. She grew up in a horrid, cruel world brought about by circumstances so she knew what it felt like to have nothing.

During their seclution, the Shafiqs learned multiple ways to survive, with and without the use of magic. They adopted the Muggle ways for survival in drastic conditions. Callista never viewed Muggles or Muggleborn wizards and witches inferior to their kind. In fact, she perceived them all as equals, capable of many things regardless of their limitations.

Although, she had never forgotten her roots, despite lacking in certain aspects, Callista carried herself with the manner, style and grace of a true pureblooded witch. Having been properly educated by her parents and uncle, she was no stranger to pureblood etiquette and decorum. She abided and engraved these traits into her mind and heart. After all, who was left to continue the Shafiq bloodline but her?

Callista stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. An extraordinarily beautiful girl with long, wavy, auburn hair, and fiery, amber eyes gazed back at her. She never shared a bathroom with a bunch of teenage girls before and she realized, it might not be so bad having Alice and Mary around.

After taking a shower, Callista dressed into her uniform and donned her Gryffindor robes. She found it personally amusing that after a long line of Slytherins in the Shafiq House, she was the very first who broke the tradition.

Raphael was a little displeased at first after discovering she was sorted in Gryffindor. Though he was in overall high spirits since his niece was finally getting a proper childhood experience, at last.

Callista lost track of her thoughts when she collided with a solid chest of muscle on her way to the Common Room. "Ouch!"

"Oh sorry, Shafiq. You look even lovelier than you did yesterday. Well, technically since I didn't see you so much yesterday."

Her amber eyes quickly snapped up at the owner of the infuriating voice.

"Potter?" Callista sneered at the boy with unruly hair and round spectacles. She wanted to sound harsh but she couldn't help but stutter when she raked over James' form and noticed that he was only wearing a white undershirt and boxers.

"Hmm, you're awfully flushed today." James repressed a chuckle over the disgruntled state Callista was in and she was blushing profusely.

She stubbornly refused to meet his gaze. James knew it was because of his appearance she was reacting that way, but feigned ignorance. He bent down and placed the back of his hand over the petite witch's forehead, examining if she had a fever.

Callista mustered all the courage it took not to stare beyond James' head and glared at him fiercely. Her face was in a deep shade of crimson and her heart pounded erratically against her ribcage. Callista never saw a body of an adolescent boy before and she would never tell a single soul. However, James' body was absolutely delicious.

She could see the long, lean muscles of his arms, the broad, strong shoulders, and his chiseled chest emphasized by the fitted undershirt she knew concealed a well-sculpted abs. Callista fought her traitorous stare as her eyes trailed lower to his boxers.

"Get off your high horse and put on some damn clothes, Potter!" Alice hissed irritatingly from the sofa she and Mary were sitting.

Callista was secretly relieved Alice broke her reverie and gracefully walked towards the two girls, leaving James standing by the doorway.

"How many times do I have to tell you girls? All our bloody clothes are inside the dormitory." James said in an exasperated tone as he was reminded of his current dilemma.

"Borrow some of Black's then. Merlin knows that man has more robes than Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occassions. Just don't prance around the Common Room in nothing but your underwear. There are first years you know." Alice scolded him as her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"I have plenty of clothes too, thank you very much." James folded his arms across his chest smugly. "Besides, have any of you seen Sirius? You'll be surprised to know that I have more clothes on my body than what he has at this very moment."

All color drained from the three girls' faces as they comprehended James' words. "Uhh, we better head to the Great Hall before Black gets here," Mary said nervously to Alice and Callista. She didn't want to see anymore half-naked Gryffindor boys and motioned herself to stand up.

"Did someone call my name?" Sirius' head peeked from the doorway and confidently swaggered his way inside the Common Room.

Callista's amber eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "Why in Morgana's name are you not wearing any clothes?!" She was in a very deep shade of red now and her heart hammered widely against her chest. Her reaction toward James was nothing when she saw Sirius clad in nothing but a pair of boxers and a beautifully, exposed toned chest.

Sirius' body like James, was incredibly amazing. A perfectly-toned built with just the right amount of muscles, body fat and sexy. Callista couldn't help but also notice the large junk defined inside his boxers and the scrumptious, perky bum he had behind.

"As much as I enjoy you ogling my arse, Shafiq. This isn't a peep show," Sirius joked as Callista gave him a death glare. She like Alice and Mary were uncomfortable but didn't seem at all negative about the view of half-nked men.

"She isn't looking at your flat bum, Padfoot." James gave his curly haired friend a scowl and tried shielding away Sirius' immodest form with his own body due to the effect Sirius had on Callista.

"Uh huh. Keep lying to yourself, mate." Sirius rolled his grey eyes at James and answered Callista's question. "Peter accidentally blasted a permanent sticking charm to the rest of our clothes when we were setting up a prank and we couldn't remove the spell. Remus had been in there with Pete. We've been trying to fix it."

When they heard mad footsteps bursting through the doors of the Common Room opened. "Prongs, Padfoot! Get your bloody arses over here and help us!" Remus was on the verge of losing his temper as his wolf senses eyed the other two Marauders in the room.

"Honestly, what is taking you both so long? Hurry up before the rest of the students wake up and catch us like this!" The tall boy with the brown hair and faint scars said in unbelievable aggravation.

"Umm, Moony…" James coughed light-heartedly and gestured to the three girls who were sitting on the couch looking anywhere but Remus.

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly as he saw them. "Oh, morning girls." He tried to hide the embarrassment he was currently feeling on that instance especially toward Callista. He was terrified she would notice the many scars decorated on his body and that she would be disgusted. He was clad in nothing but a singlet and boxers like James.

That was the last straw for Callista. Nothing could have prepared her for seeing Remus dressed in such little article of clothing. She didn't expect much from James and Sirius, though her heart couldn't take seeing Remus in such a bare state.

Remus' built wasn't as well defined as Sirius or James but it was lean, muscled on just the right amount and places. It suited him perfectly and she also admired the many jagged scars of flesh adorning his body. He was in one word - beautiful.

Callista swiftly shook her head to keep away those lustful thoughts. She wanted to flee from the room because the experience was already overwhelming her. She swallowed hard, avoided the obvious blushing of her cheeks, ignored the loud pounding of her heart and nudged Mary and Alice to get out of there.

"If you boys would excuse us." Mary finally stood up and hurriedly made her way out of the Common Room while the three Marauders gave her a confused look. The amount of testosterone in the room was too much for her to handle and the boys were completely clueless about it. "Let's go. Alice… Callista." She smiled anxiously at the two girls.

Callista and Alice followed Mary to the door, just then Peter came, roughly panting out of breath and zoomed past the two girls into the Common Room.

"Hey! Where were you guys? You all left me in there!" Peter grumbled at James, Remus, and Sirius, feeling left out to his own devices inside their dorm.

"This is the worst, Alice." Callista complained to the other witch as they swiftly made their way to the Great Hall, religiously paying no attention to the half-dressed fifth year boys in the room.

Callista desperately tried erasing the ghastly mental image of Pettigrew, who was only wearing a crimson blanket draped over his chubby physique. She had a feeling he had nothing worn underneath the sheets so it was a miracle they got away before the material would have fallen off of his body. She shuddered at the thought.


	10. Conspiratorial Discussions

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the story so far :) for the likes and favorites! It's time to introduce some of the future death eaters in the story :D**

 **greyMoonHuntress: thank you so much veteran author for such detailed reviews! I hope you read the pm I sent you.**

 **Demi: hey, I'm really glad you feel strongly for the JamesCallista ship and I'm sorry you feel off about Remus in the picture. But put a bunch of hormonally induced sex driving adolescents together and anything is bound to happen. Though what I can assure you that this is indeed an eventual JamesxCallista, it's just that feelings grow overtime. Thank you for reviewing and I hope to see around.**

* * *

Callista breathed a sigh of relief once they escaped the common room and her fiery, amber eyes focused on the familiar structure of the Great Hall. The intricately carved design of the large double doors, the high stone walls that stretched as far as the ceilings would go, and the beautiful ceiling above that was bewitched to resemble the heavens depending on what time of the day it was.

The large hall was filled with four long tables, one for each of the founders' houses. An assortment of breakfast food was laid generously on each table by the school's hardworking house elves although only a few students appeared to be up this time of the morning. She inspected her surroundings, it was indeed uncommon for the Great Hall to be absent of the mindless chattering and loud conversations but there were scarcely any students at all. Only a handful of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Slytherins and Gryffindors were present.

Callista promptly recollected her humiliating encounter with Potter that appalling night in the Astronomy Tower and she couldn't expunge from her memory the torn, wounded look of his face when he caught her sobbing in pain. She was meekly cynical about it though, and she wondered if he had told any of his friends. However, his blasé manner of greeting her earlier this morning made her think twice.

James behaved the same, bothersome, and sickeningly sweet way towards her. It was as if last night never happened at all. With the sole exception of his hazel eyes, which was a dead giveaway because of the slight flicker of concern defined in his irises when they made eye contact with each other.

Callista speedily extinguished those irksome thoughts from her mind; she didn't want to dwell on other 'bodily issues' concerning James or the rest of the Marauders. Godric knows what sinful and lust inducing delusions might ruin her mentality.

Her attention was brought back to the present when she felt Mary's body stiffened beside her while they were making their way to the Gryffindor table. Callista followed the girl's petrified eyes to a group of older Slytherin boys who were also looking their way in a murderous and fatal intent.

Mary forced her features to remain impassive and disregarded the deadly gazes they were sending her way and walked ahead of the two girls.

"Who are those boys?" Callista couldn't help but asked Alice as she watched them from across the hall, languorously seated on the Slytherin table as if they were gods. She never saw Mary this frightened before.

"The one next to Malfoy? That's Antonin Dolohov and Corban Yaxley." Alice responded, Callista could feel the animosity and hatred radiating from the other witch's body.

Callista remembered those names rather tastelessly from her father Leonardo, who used to host lavish, exclusive pureblood parties before she was born. So these were the devil spawns of Vladimir Dolohov and Boris Yaxley. The two arseholes were notoriously known for siding with Voldemort and were one of the death eaters who hunted her family down to extinction. How she loved to return the favor on their children.

"Why were they looking at Mary like that?" Callista said irately, she wanted to plunge their eyeballs with a knife, though the boys' attention seemed to be diverted elsewhere as they huddled in discussion with each other.

Callista's jaw tightened, her eyes never leaving their table as she tried to study their features from a distance. Yaxley, whose developed stature was more akin to a man rather than a teenager, his dirty blond hair curled in ringlets as a mischievous smirk displayed on his face. He was apparently trying to piss off Dolohov, who was deadly serious at the moment.

Dolohov, whose Russian roots appeared prominent in his facial features. His wavy, jet black hair smoothened in place and of course, who would forget the famous white blond hair of a Malfoy.

"Mary's a Muggleborn, Callista," Alice hurriedly whispered and tugged the auburn witch's elbow towards the Gryffindor table, "they give her a hard time because of it." She rephrased her choice of words in an exhausting attempt to forget what they had done to Mary just the year prior. Alice didn't want to relieve that very awful incident.

Callista felt a revolting sensation inside of her. How could these horrifyingly blessed, aristocratic facial features house terrible, demonic personalities? Their faces were that of angels but their rotten souls were unadulterated evil.

"Why those hideous, dogmatic bigots!" all the blood rushed through Callista's brain. She knew Mcdonald was not a recognizable pureblooded name unlike King although, she never figured Mary to be a Muggleborn not that it really mattered to her. Callista was unquestionably furious. Ostracizing a person due to his or her blood status and lineage? That was unacceptably merciless.

"Stay away from them, Callista," Alice warned her, "I'm not joking. They're dangerous."

* * *

"Dolohov, why do you keep staring at the Mudblood?" Lucius speculated in disgust at the Gryffindor table after elegantly buttering his toast with a gold bread knife.

"Po'shyol 'na hui," **Fuck off** Antonin cursed brashly in Russian and his dark irises bore a firm scowl towards the white haired blond, "being in the presence of blood traitors and Mudbloods so early in the morning makes me lose my appetite." He dropped the golden utensils from his grasp with a loud clang and sophisticatedly took a sip from his goblet.

Corban chuckled darkly in agreement while his menacing, frost blue eyes drifted to the direction of Antonin's gaze for a brief second, "But you know, they're quite enjoyable for quick shags." And took a forkful of bacon delicately into his mouth.

"I honestly do not understand why you would lower yourself to such mortifying behaviors, Yaxley," Lucius gave the dirty blond haired boy a sickened expression, "I couldn't imagine myself sinking so low as to touch a Mudblood." The mere idea itself was repulsive enough for him.

"I'm getting all the fucks I can get before we get the hell out of here, it's not like I'm marrying a filthy whore. And you know how stuck up pure-blooded witches are, they don't put out," Yaxley snidely commented, "besides you're not the only one who has a betrothal contract slapped in the face, Malfoy. I know the consequences of magical binding and the strict implementation of fidelity in our pure-blood customs." He haughtily raised a challenging brow at him.

Before Malfoy and Yaxley could argument even further, "Durachit'," **Fools** Antonin nearly snarled at the pair of bickering snakes, "There are more important matters to consider than fucking tramps and marrying gold diggers. We will be receiving the dark mark after graduation so get your bloody shite together." Forcefully stabbing a stack of pancakes with his knife.

But Lucius relatively enjoyed riling Dolohov's nasty temper, "Anxious, aren't we? I didn't think you were the type to easily get terrified." A wicked smile graced his lips.

" 'Khu I," **Dick** Antonin cursed under his breath in an uninterested manner, "I'm actually anticipating my initiation." He gave the two boys an evil, animated smirk in response.

* * *

Callista took a seat opposite Alice and Mary, who were both sitting next to each other. She could see Alice carefully soothing Mary with her sisterly touch so the latter would forget about the occurrence awhile ago. She wondered what could have those Slytherins done to make her scared in such a way. She didn't like it one bit.

And soon, students started filling in the Great Hall while the buzzing noises of chatter grew louder by the minute. Although, what attracted the interest of the student body was the arrival of the four Marauders making their way to the Gryffindor table laughing carelessly in mayhem and mischief.

James and Sirius effortlessly carried themselves in a manner that made them popular, sought after, and completely desirable to the majority of the female population. Playing as chaser and beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team also boosted up their appeal.

Remus was not one for the spotlight, but it didn't mean his presence was left unnoticed. And of course, there was Peter, the trusted wingman of the group.

Callista's fiery amber eyes spotted the origin of their laughter - Snape. He was sneezing repeatedly and it appeared something was coming out of his hooked nose every time he sneezes. Her forehead creased. Was a live, squirming fish actually coming out of his nostrils?

"It was," she pondered in amusement, "poor fish, not knowing where that nose has been." As she saw more fishes coming out from him as the rest of the students even some of the Slytherins started laughing at him.

Snape was unalterably enraged with James' bullying behavior as another sneeze and wriggling fish escaped his nose. He flicked his wand to give the arrogant boy a good hex when James' back was turned but Remus was quick and deflected it with a flip of his own wand.

A back and forth war of wands would have erupted have not the hall been filling up with professors who also planned on having their breakfasts.

"That bloody Pott- ACHOO!" Snape sneezed forcefully and a fish dropped on the floor. "And his stupid band of baboons!" he continued speaking then another fish exploded from his nose.

"You invented a curse, didn't you?" Lily quirked a magnificent brow at him while Snape took a seat next to her on the Slytherin table. She raised her wand and easily removed the hex, "What do you call it?"

"Sectusempra." Snape swiftly grabbed a napkin from the table and immediately wiped his nose which was undeniably red and sore from all the sneezing.

"Use it on them," Lily rolled her brilliant green eyes as if it was the most obvious thing to do, "your parlor tricks are getting old, anyway. It would set a new phase to inflict pain on them." She smiled cruelly from her sadistic suggestion.

"I haven't perfected it yet," Snape brooded over Lily's words, "but the idea is thoroughly tempting." He took it into consideration. He remembered explaining to Lily that he had been practicing a new spell of his own creation that could impose major damage to the victim.

"Don't forget to teach me when you're finished." Lily reminded him as a pointed grin flashed across her pretty face. Snape huffed in mild vexation, as if Lily needed any aid. She was extremely intelligent and gifted, but nevertheless he wouldn't hesitate to give her a hand. She was his childhood friend.

"Is Mulciber still in the hospital wing?" Eleanor Zabini, with a beauty that made all the boys weak on their knees, questioned as the younger boy was absent once more from their table. She felt incredibly irritated when she discovered the strife between Mulciber and Callista during Slughorn's class. She had a personal loathing for the auburn haired girl, whose unnatural nonhuman features seemed to be attracting a number of male followers.

"Snape and I are heading there after breakfast," Avery spoke as he watched Callista from the corner of his eye. He took a forkful of eggs and began chewing slowly, "That insufferable bimbo." He gritted his teeth and swallowed.

Snape may have prevented them from previously harming Callista but now nothing was going to stop Avery, not even Dumbledore. He had to teach this self-righteous bint how to behave accordingly, and he will have her on bended knees as he'd press the tip of his wand on her forehead and she would be screaming in agonizing pain.

"So are we," Lucius said in a commanding voice, "Bellatrix, Narcissa and Lily. You'll come with me to see Mulciber after breakfast." His emerald eyes deviated to each of the girls who nodded at him. He still hasn't forgotten the tactless, conceited words Callista said to him in the hallway. He was also vaguely intrigued with why for that fleeting instant, he was enthralled and beguiled to her whole presence. It was an unexplainable euphoria yet a dangerous one and he wanted answers.


	11. Breakfast Blunders

**Thank you everyone for the likes and favorites! And of course, to greymoonhuntress for always leaving me wonderfully constructive reviews!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter as I will be gone for about a awhile since I'll be busy again with work and I want to focus on my other fics.**

 **There are a lot of emotions going on with the effects of puberty and what nots. This has two parts so I had to cut it. Kindly wait for the next one after a few weeks!**

 **I hope you do enjoy this chapter as there are a lot of emotions going on with the effects of puberty and what nots. This has two parts so I had to cut it. Kindly wait for the next one after a few weeks! Coz my break time is over and chapters will be updated at a much slower pace.**

 **I'm gonna be busy with work and I'm gonna focus on my other fics. If you need me I'm more active in ffnet.**

 **Chapters will be darker in the future as I'm slowly incorporating it into the story. The story will contain dark matter/dark humor, romance and angst.**

* * *

After wearing out all of the oxygen in their lungs from uncontrollably laughing at the greasy git, Snivellus, James and the rest of the Marauders made their way to the Gryffindor table.

James' hazel eyes shone brightly in optimism when he spotted the empty seat next to Callista and hastily made a mad dash to claim the spot before anyone would have beat him to it. In one smooth motion, he slid skillfully in the chair and raised an impressive smirk at her that he knew made all the girls head over heels for him.

Callista narrowed her amber eyes at him and wrinkled her nose in abhorrence then she decided that it would be best to simply ignore him entirely.

She didn't have to be reminded of that delectable physique of his and how good it would feel like to scrape her nails against the expanse of his bare torso in a slow, tantalizing notion or how her slender fingers ached to weave itself around his thick, raven hair when their bodies would be pressed tightly together in the height of arousal sweating and panting, yearning for a taste as they both lie gloriously naked on –

She heatedly shook her head in horror, how could she be fantasizing about _Potter_?!

"Oh, Merlin." James thought. Didn't she know that the more she repels his persisting efforts the more he wanted her so badly? A tough, worthy challenge indeed and he swore on Godric's grave that one day he will succeed.

Remus sat on the other side of Callista while Sirius and Peter took the seats in front of them. There was just three days left before the full moon and Remus dreaded the effects as it continued to hit its peak.

His wolf instincts were dominantly taking control over his increased senses and he knew Moony, his other self, would soon make an appearance. Having Callista so close to him was not helping the situation either. Mainly because she smelled so distinctively appealing it was terribly hard for him to disregard.

"How were you able to fix the charm?" Mary spoke from across the table as she started filling up her plate with bacon and eggs.

"Professor Flitwick, the marvelous man undid the spell on our clothes." Sirius was extremely satisfied with the flow of events, "Turns out it wasn't a charm but Peter performed a transfiguration spell called Epoximise without knowing. He even awarded Peter five house points!" while pouring himself a goblet of pumpkin juice and simultaneously giving Peter a high five for performing the spell perfectly even without any knowledge of it.

Alice poked fun at their immature display when she took sudden interest with the view in front of her. Callista looked extremely uncomfortable being sandwiched in between Potter and Lupin which Alice did not understand why since those were two pretty attractive boys sitting on opposite sides of her.

She could at least pretend to be alright with it. But then she remembered the incident in the Common Room a few hours earlier and it seemed Callista had not gotten over it yet.

James and Remus did not appear to notice it though as James was in deep conversation about Quidditch with Sirius, Peter and Frank Longbottom, a sixth year Gryffindor keeper.

Remus, on the other hand, was talking to Marlene Mckinnon, another sixth year about their prefect meetings for the day.

He was desperately trying to shake off the enthralling, alluring presence of the beautiful auburn haired witch sitting next to him at the table.

"Callista, how have you been?" Alice asked the witch who seemed to have her thoughts somewhere else.

"I-I'm fine." Callista blinked, forcing her mind to focus on breakfast and not dwell on Remus' lean arms that was only a few inches from her reach, "A little exhausted from yesterday."

"Mary and I were looking for you all day. We couldn't find you anywhere." Alice said as the attention of the table glided towards the two witches especially James, who Callista could tell by the strain in his eyes was worried.

"I was at the Headmaster's office," Callista avoided their curious gazes and decided to set up her breakfast as the others continued finishing their meals when they were sure Callista was not going to share anything more. She scrutinized the food in front of her.

Bacon, eggs, beef, chicken… No, she did not want any those. She wanted to be sure, to be safe. Wasn't that what her father taught her all those years ago? Voldemort and his followers were still alive and she had to be careful at all cost.

 _Do not trust anyone, Callista_ she heard her father's authoritative voice say to her as a child. _Food can be easily tampered with. What if they poison you? Don't ever let your guard down. We cannot always protect you._

She pondered this in her mind, weighing the possible probability of the house elves poisoning their food. Of course, they would never do such a horrendous act. House elves were bound to serve their masters until they die and were magically prevented from harming their owners. Besides, she could always use her magic to make a diagnosis if there were any maladies to the food.

But Callista was still mistrustful and suspicious. Who could blame her when she grew up believing everyone was going to hurt her and it turns out they did. It was in her nature to protect herself and those she loved.

She picked up a gold plate and in all perfect grace filled it up with a mixture of fruits such as strawberries, grapes, slices of watermelon, cantaloupe and kiwi. Fruits could not easily be poisoned as it were fresh.

Thinking fruits alone would not sustain her nutrition for the day; she got another plate and decided to pile it with pancakes, "Could you please pass me the pancakes, Black?"

"Thank you." She simply said when he handed her the pancakes.

After buttering her pancakes, Callista saw the blueberry jam next to Remus. "Remus, would you please hand me the blueberry jam?"

Remus froze for a bit before he rigidly passed her the jam without even looking at her and this made Callista frown. "Thank you," she still told him.

She didn't know that Remus could feel Moony's growing irritation because he did not want to submit to his wolf instincts. He was trying very hard to eradicate the overwhelming smell radiating from Callista which was very attractive for Moony particularly during the full moon. He shouldn't have sat next to her on the table.

Sirius observed her pale, slender fingers moving gracefully with the fork and knife in hand. Just her mere table manners exuded the natural charm and poise all pureblooded witches have. Callista had that air of aristocratic appeal and allure that even his mother, Walburga, would approve of.

Sirius brushed the awful thought of his mother from his mind, "Bloody hell, Shafiq. Don't you eat anything more filling?" he was grimacing at the meal Callista prepared for herself.

"What are you prattling on about, Black?" she jeered at him and delicately chewed on a slice of watermelon.

"There are different kinds of food in front of you and you choose to eat pancakes and fruits everyday like they're going out of style." Sirius said incredulously, gesturing to the variety of provisions prepared for them by the house elves which she disrespectfully ignored.

"Mind your own damn business." Callista told him pointedly and elegantly sliced her pancakes with the knife she wished was his tongue.

"I got to agree with Sirius on this one, Shafiq. That's not filling at all." James said to her and Callista wanted to gag with the amount of concern oozing from his voice.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at the two Marauders, apparently her choice of breakfast was very controversial for the pair. "I don't like the taste of meat," and her vibrant, amber eyes glowered viciously at James who looked as if he wanted to say something more but settled on dropping the subject.

Mary could see how James was shrinking from Callista's bloodcurdling glower so she tried to distract them, "Why were you boys up so early in the morning anyway? Unlike Remus, it's unusual for you three to be up and about."

"Can't a group of friends enjoy watching the sunrise together?" Sirius raised a brow at her as if it was the most understandable thing they would do.

"Yeah!" Peter chimed in as he took a mouthful of roasted chicken and started to chomp wholeheartedly.

Although, Alice would not be fooled by their ridiculous excuse. "Please, Black. The only sunrise you've ever seen is every morning when you creep out of the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw dormitory after a long night of shagging hoping nobody would notice you entering our Common Room," and her eyes widened as realization hit her. "Who are you pranking? Don't tell me it's our table or I swear to Merlin, I am going to hex your balls and feed it to the Giant Squid!"

"Cool it, King." James tried to pacify the witch and laughed in amusement. "Just wait for the events to unfold," being seated right next to Callista left him in a silly good mood and nothing could possible ruin it.

James felt a tingle in his spine during his intense staring moment with Callista and didn't perceive that she was in fact, agitatedly glaring at him.

However, James was sidetracked from his thoughts due to the eye contact Sirius gave him. Sirius was motioning towards Remus, who was oddly quiet the entire time. His face was in a tight grimace and he was in deep concentration.

"You're pranking the Slytherins, aren't you?" Mary gave the boys a knowing look, like she just caught on their inside joke.

"Mcdonald, do you always have to spoil the surprise?" Peter grunted and huffed from his seat as Sirius shook his head, unimpressed by her correct assumption.

"Another prank?" Marlene groaned at the group of mischievous Marauders, "I don't know whether to write you boys a detention slip or not. You lot never seemed to learn."

"Don't do it, Mckinnon. We have Quidditch practice and Gryffindor needs to win the House Cup this year," Frank told her as if what she was doing would be a grave and fatal mistake.

"If we lose it will be your fault, Mckinnon! The team would be crushed. All our efforts, the hours of practice even during the pouring rain. Nada!" Sirius swiped both his hands to emphasize his point, "They will all turn into vain! All because you couldn't turn the other cheek," and he finished his words so fervidly from his seat.

"You'll be wallowing in shame and regret knowing that you led Gryffindor to defeat all because of one, innocent little prank!" James added as he passionately raised his fists in the air.

Marlene placed a hand on her throbbing forehead from their exaggerated display. "You boys always take the dramatics to a whole new level," and continued finishing her breakfast instead.

* * *

 _Boy_ , Moony spoke to Remus inside his mind as he absentmindedly picked on his mashed potatoes, trying very hard to distract himself. _Do you smell her?_

 _Yes,_ Remus responded reluctantly, knowing full well Moony was referring to Callista.

 _Why do you keep on resisting?_ Moony growled ferociously. _Her scent, it's the scent of attraction, fertility, and arousal. Does it not engulf your sense of smell with the mouth-watering fragrance?_

Remus did not reply; he did not want to let anyone suffer from this. He did not want to ruin Callista's life.

 _Do not ignore me, boy!_ Moony roared in impatience. _Remember when she used to seek our solace doing her time of need? How she unabashedly let us accompany her by the fireplace wearing nothing but a thin night gown. How the silk material would cling to her figure seductively like rivulets that accentuated her supple breasts and emphasized the bountiful curve of her hips. Was not there a moment when you wanted to grab and knead her vivacious arse? Worshipping her body like a work of art._

 _Stop. Stop. Stop!_ Remus begged for Moony to stop torturing him even further and just leave him alone.

 _I'll let you off the hook this time, boy. But she is a potential mate and her body is perfect for bearing us pups. Your shaft is growing hard just thinking about her._ This was Moony's last words to him.

"Alright, Moony?" James placed an arm on Remus' shoulder from behind Callista as they were seated on the Gryffindor table. The Marauders knew that the full moon was in three days so Remus was always on the edge and tensed.

Remus stiffened from the surprising touch but eventually he relaxed, "Y-yeah."


	12. Loose Bowels

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! Thank you so much for following/favoriting the story and as always for following and favoriting me as an author. Shout out to last chapter's reviewers: Eagles and Your Delusional Fantasies.**

 **These little things always manage to brighten up my day especially with the devastating events happening in my country right now, I could ask you guys to please offer a prayer to the Philippines. Just recently we've suffered an attack in Resorts World Manila and a waging war still continues in Mindanao so just a few prayers can go a long way. I would also like to express my utmost sympathy to the victims of the latest attack in London, a time of prayers and unity is needed from this devastating event.**

* * *

"Don't lean in so close to me, Potter!" Callista finally snapped from the brittle patience she had left when James reached towards Remus from behind her, and managed to squeeze her petite frame with his muscular built, flooding her sense of smell with the messy haired boy's overwhelming scent as her body involuntarily pressed unto Remus' torso, which in turn made the overwrought werewolf even more conflicted with his own thoughts.

"Ow! You are so feisty, Shafiq!" James yelped from the sudden pain of Callista's nonverbal stinging jinx as the irate witch waved her hand.

Remus groaned inwardly. He didn't want to be caught in between James' constant, embarrassing declarations towards Callista and how the girl would implacably reject the stubborn wizard's annoying advances. It was like an endless and pointless tug-of-war on which no one would cease to surrender. Oh Godric, how he wished the full moon would end already.

"Invade my personal space once more and you'll get more than just a stinging jinx." While she was pointing the gold knife threateningly in front of him. The venom in her voice was clear but it still sounded like wind chimes.

"I'd risk anything just to smell that luscious perfume of yours," James adjusted his glasses, "No deal." And shook his head. He frowned briefly for a moment because it looked as if Sirius was gesturing to him with his hands to keep his mouth shut from across the table.

Odd, why must he stop talking? James was an outspoken, humorous individual who wore his heart on sleeves. Observably, it was only natural for his genuine and honest feelings to be voiced out to the auburn haired witch who was severely scrutinizing his every move as if she was already plotting his murder.

"You must be mad if you think I'd settle on simply smelling you from afar." James countered determinedly at her and he was not lying. He watched her expression changed from irritated to furious, and then to extremely livid at him while a powerful, unfamiliar hex was aimed his way. Even her wordless wand work was incredibly attractive.

He knew it was petty and immature for him to rile her up though, if this was the only way to get Callista's attention then so be it. All the hexes and jinxes he would receive did not matter to him. After all, Callista was exceptionally beautiful to James, especially when he observed the scorching passion in her amber eyes, the blazing flames of auburn hair cackling like fire and her plump, succulent lips muttering angrily at the raven haired boy in spectacles. Oh, Merlin what would he give to be able to kiss her.

James was not actually quite sure what she was frenziedly shouting at him, he zoned out a bit already in awe of her enrapturing allure as his hazel eyes continued to stare at her.

"Padfoot!" James was removed rather unpleasantly from his present daydreaming, "What the hell?!" Because Sirius had thrown a grape he grabbed from Peter's plate and it hit him square on the face.

Sirius rumbled in annoyance to James, "Look." And pointed with his chin towards the Slytherin table. He was not amused that his friends were not paying enough attention to the brilliant scheme they had prepared and the many risks they had to take along with it. Peter was animatedly munching on his bacon, Remus was worrying no less about his 'wolf problems' and James was drooling all over Callista. How bloody typical.

And the mischievous, naughty glint resurfaced in James' eyes as a playful smirk graced his lips when he followed his curly haired friend's gaze.

"Moony." James spoke loudly to catch the troubled werewolf's attention.

Remus looked up from his plate unenthusiastically and saw the Marauders excitedly watched the oblivious snakes drink from their goblets of pumpkin juice. He decided to forget about his worries for the meantime since Moony promised not to bother him for now. Remus did help orchestrate this elaborate plot so he might as well enjoy it.

* * *

"Why are those bloody Gryffindors looking over our table?" Severus glowered at the four Marauders nastily as he took a healthy serving of shepherd's pie. He could feel that they were definitely up to something.

"My cousin, with those filthy mudbloods and blood traitors?" Bellatrix replied in disgust and contempt, "Ignore him, that's what we all do." While she took a taste from her goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Does your stomach feel funny?" Avery whispered uncomfortably to Snape as he abruptly clutched his abdomen in pain and uneasiness.

"No, so spare me with your trivial details." Severus responded in revulsion, he did not want to be informed about Avery's body discomforts as he was on the verge of enjoying a hearty piece of pie.

But as soon the words escaped his mouth, Severus felt the abrupt impact. Oh, fucking Circe. He felt his insides twisting and turning into knots. The intense grumbling in his belly was loud and demanded to be felt. Cold sweat started pooling on his forehead; he could see gooseflesh rising from his skin and the sudden clamminess of his palms.

He was suffering from what he was very sure was a terrible loose bowel movement. He needed to find the closest lavatory quickly, that is if he could force his wobbly knees to stand without him having to dump his nasty deed inside his underwear.

Severus' perturbed appearance rapidly found Lily whose pretty face was contorted into a tight, pained expression and her trembling hands were balled into fists. There was no doubt in her actions that she too was experiencing the same predicament as he.

His attention was diverted when he heard the mischievous laughs of the Marauders emanating from the Gryffindor table.

Severus warily glanced over the breakfast feast prepared for them by the house elves and tried figuring out what could possibly be amiss. He put two and two together. "Those daft prats!" he bellowed angrily while he felt another loud rumble in his stomach, "They spiked the pumpkin juice with some sort of laxative!"

Although it was too late, all of the students have taken a sip of the vile concoction. Lucius and Yaxley were rigidly gripping the nearest item within their reach, fighting the awful urge to defecate on the spot with bloody concentration as their bottoms remain rooted in the seats.

Antonin was furiously cursing in Russian again as he tried maintaining his composure but the dreadful ache in his stomach was visibly hard for him to ignore.

Narcissa hastily spat the pumpkin juice she ingested in horror when she heard Snape's words but the inevitable twinge in her gut was already there.

Alecto and Amcytus shot murderous glares to the Gryffindor table, however they did not have the willpower to fire a hex in their direction as they had more upsetting issues that needed to be dealt with first, such as finding a goddamn bathroom, and avoid shitting inside their trousers from merely standing up.

It was going to be a long day for all of them.


	13. The Fun was Over

**A/N: Hey, my lovelies! Woo hoo here's another chapter for all of you! June was a little tough on me so my updates weren't as frequent as before but I'll try to leave more chapters in the future (fingers crossed). Thank you so much for the follows/favorites and a special mention to: mimsky for the flood reviews ;) Now this is going to be a long AN.**

 **I'd like to take this time to give my readers who aren't too pleased about Remus in the picture but he may be a potential partner for Callista (even if she is very faaaar from that stage yet) in the future. James, on the other hand (maybe?). But James x Callista is the end game and I guarantee you all that they will get their happy ending but who says it has to be easy – this is a romance/dark humor/angst fic, anyway. (Although I won't make them sleep around with different characters – that's not my thing).**

 **To all the readers who are disappointed, I'm sorry you feel that way but I won't change it. I already had the storyline mapped out and if you want, you could write your own story to fit to your liking. To everyone sticking around, I love you guys! Your loyalty and love is what keeps me going! I'm currently looking for a beta for this fic, if you're interested give me a pm :D**

* * *

"Always so sure of yourself aren't you, Severus?" Bellatrix hissed through gritted teeth, when a loud rumble erupted from her stomach. "How could you possibly know that the laxative potion was in the pumpkin juice? For all we know it could also be in our bloody food!" as her clenched fists slammed hard on the table.

"If you actually had the adroit experience in the art of Potion Making to back up your idiotic speculations rather than questioning my own knowledge of laxative potions then I might have considered this a relevant debate. But by all means Bellatrix, do continue with your silly notions," Snape retorted icily as he raised a challenging brow at her, masking the obvious discomfort in his gut that was incredibly too difficult to disregard.

Regulus sighed in defeat. The Marauders struck another prank again and he already had enough with their stupid, childish antics. His blood traitor of a brother had been nothing but a disappointment to the House of Black and now, he also had to be a bloody git.

"Why you no good –" the fuming, darkly beautiful witch was about to lift her wand to hex Snape whilst ignoring the strong urge to rush to the nearest lavatory.

"Bella, stop it!" Narcissa tried chastising her elder sister from across the long table even if she could barely control her insides from twisting and turning.

"Argh! I can't take this anymore!" Avery stood up abruptly from his seat, sneered at the Marauders at the Gryffindor table and rushed out of the Great Hall, all the while clutching his gut with his legs pinned together as if a Jelly- Legs jinx was casted upon him which resulted in even more loud laughter from the lions.

"Yebat' eto!" **Fuck this!** Antonin cursed heatedly in Russian, grasped his wand tightly and aimed it directly at the Gryffindor table but then he decided against it. There were just much too many professors in the Great Hall. Besides, there were more important bodily discomforts to be dealt with at the moment. He furiously tucked his wand inside his robe pocket and soon followed after Avery.

"Dolohov, wait up." Corban Yaxley barely managed to say as he ran after the furious Russian wizard while simultaneously controlling the strong feeling of defecating inside his trousers. He glanced at the opposite side and muttered angrily under his breath, "Fucking Gryffindors."

* * *

Callista's vibrant amber eyes watched in amusement and curiosity as one by one, the Slytherin students have abandoned their table in a frenzied attempt to hastily relieve themselves from their bowels of torture until the whole table was absolutely deserted. She got a good look at the nervous, rattled faces of Malfoy and Zabini who almost collided with each other as they made a mad dash towards the large oak doors.

She couldn't believe that one as beautiful as Eleanor Zabini, the self entitled apple of every male student's eye, was also struggling with a brutal digestive problem. Well, she did deserve it.

After all, she was extremely hostile to Callista without any real reason and would often sneer at her direction when they would cross paths, although it was not something Callista cared for which seemed to irk the female Slytherin even more.

This was also accompanied by the curious gazes and entertained chuckles from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables that caught on with the snakes' distress.

She watched as the last two occupants – Severus and Lily, half limped, half crutched their way out in order to escape the hall. That must have been one hell of a laxative potion.

"You do know they will get back at you for this," Mary bit her lip to refrain from laughing at the troubled snakes, though she couldn't control a few snickers that escaped her mouth due to the continuous chuckles radiating from their table and much was to be blamed at the Marauders.

James coughed seriously after laughing and said, "Ah well, McDonald. Like any great wizard in the height of triumph, there's always bound to be a little rivalry here and there." He waved his hand nonchalantly as he took a swig from his goblet of pumpkin juice that was of course, not spiked.

His hazel eyes over his glass-rimmed spectacles quickly found Callista, who was sitting right next to him at the table. And he could tell she was amused with today's breakfast events based on the evident sparkle in her amber eyes and the slight upward curve of her luscious lips.

His heart swelled tremendously in his chest from the accomplishment and James couldn't help but give her a smug smile of success as he propped his elbow on the table with his hand under his chin while he waggled his eyebrows at her, "Well…What do you think, Shafiq?"

"I think you should watch your back in the future, Potter." Callista's beautiful face contorted to a scowl. She did not know why, but she could've sworn that she felt a rose colored blush tinting her cheeks so she turned her head away, making her long, auburn hair brush his face with her movements, which James didn't seem to mind at all.

"Oh c'mon, Shafiq! For once, can't you find it in that stone cold heart of yours, and see just how amazing this prank was?" Sirius told her accusingly from his seat as he stabbed a piece of bacon with his fork.

If only she knew that prank was meant to avenge her from Mulciber's rude remarks about her father but sadly, he wasn't even there for the show. Oh well, it was still a hefty consolation prize to have all the Slytherins succumbed in very, very loose bowel movements. After all, they did laugh at Callista during one of Slughorn's Potions classes because of Mulciber's crude joke. And who would forget the frazzled look of the big nose, greasy git, Snivellus? It was just the perfect cherry on top.

"Come on over here and I'll show you just how cold hearted I can be," Callista replied stiffly before taking a grumpy forkful of her blueberry pancakes.

She spotted Remus at the corner of her eye and he was back in his unusually quiet state once he finished giving halfhearted laughs at the Slytherins. He continued to pick on his breakfast and not at all interested to join the conversation. What on earth was wrong with him?

"See that, Prongs? She's propositioning me with you on the table!" Sirius teased Callista and gave her a suggestive wink that he knew would further infuriate the feisty witch.

James narrowed his eyes at Sirius and muttered in annoyance, "She is most certainly _not,_ Padfoot."

The messy, raven haired boy in spectacles, already did not like his friend spending too much time tutoring Callista in Charms (which consisted of treacherous days of James interrogating Sirius) because of Flitwick's stupid suggestion so the curly haired boy should at least be mindful of not trying to steal her attention when he was around.

Callista merely lifted a pale, slender finger and elegantly pointed it at the curly haired boy.

"Ow! You bloody woman!" Sirius yapped from the sudden pain of the auburn haired witch's stinging jinx and continued, "Don't you think I already had enough torture from tutoring you in Charms?" he vividly reminisced the increasing trips to the hospital wing and being brought there by an unwilling classmate who was the reason for all his suffering.

The most recent incident was Callista accidentally turning Sirius' skin to a crimson red when they were practicing a few spells with their wands, which in turn encouraged the three remaining Marauders to garnish him with gold and red decorations, brandishing him, and displaying him outside the Gryffindor Common Room because he became the sole embodiment of the Gryffindor colors.

But before Callista would have retorted, Alice spoke. "I hate to agree with Black in all things considered, but that was quite an impressive prank," and she continued to munch on her strawberries.

"What do you know, King. I knew one day you would see the beauty of our pranking ways." Sirius responded cheekily as James and Peter nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Don't push it, Black." Alice's eyes narrowed into slits, however she focused her attention to the other boys, "By the way, how did you do it?"

"Well, you see –" Peter opened his mouth to begin explaining but Sirius immediately flicked his wand and aimed a Silencio at him.

"Now, Pete. We Marauders cannot simply divulge any of our secrets to non-members," Sirius said in a grave tone and the silent Peter simply nodded his chubby head in understanding.

"Right, Moony?" he swiftly focused his attention to his disinterested werewolf friend who was apparently deaf at the moment while staring at his half eaten plate of breakfast.

"Moony?" Sirius repeated and furrowed his brows.

He tried again, "Hey, Moons."

There was no reaction.

"Remus!" James finally spoke loudly from his seat as he warily eyed Remus. They knew the symptoms must be incredibly unbearable now with the full moon so close.

"Huh? What's going on?" Remus absentmindedly glanced up from his plate then his brown eyes locked on Callista and there it was – that troubling feeling he could not describe. The prickling sensation of heat that reverberated down his spine and elsewhere which he was desperately trying to ignore.

He felt it again, like the first time he met her at the bookshop, although this time it felt stronger because his wolf instincts was taking over and he heard Moony howled loudly in victory. Remus bit his lip hard to stop himself from howling alongside his wolf counterpart and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth but he barely noticed it.

He gazed at her and time must have stopped, with her extraordinarily beautiful face that didn't seem to appear normal, in fact it was almost unhuman, and gave him an unsettling feeling inside his chest.

But it was always her vibrant amber eyes that captured him, ensnared him, trapped him in an endless abyss of fire and allure and he was a willing prisoner.

"I-I, uh, have to go." Remus sputtered and swallowed roughly as he tore his eyes away from Callista with immense effort and hurriedly fled away from the Great Hall.

"What was that about?" James's forehead creased as he watched Remus' retreating frame.

However, before they could have come up with any valid reason for Remus' odd behavior aside from the obvious influence of the full moon, someone's commanding voice demanded to be heard.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Pettigrew, in my office this instant!" McGonagall boomed loudly from across the Great Hall as she stood up from the teachers' table while all of the students' gazes landed on the Marauders.

"Why didn't she mention Moony? Is this some kind of bloody favoritism?" Sirius whispered in an annoyed manner to James.

"Shut up, Padfoot." James nudged Sirius to be quiet and sighed. This was going to be another bloody round of detention for the Marauders with the courtesy of their Head of House this time.


	14. Different Emotions

**I've previously stated in my other WIP - You Are Mine (which I've then deleted), that I** **would be taking a short break from writing due to the incredible amount of stress the horrible experience me and my whole family went through which almost cost us our lives but** **I've realized that writing helps divert my memory from recalling that painfully scary experience so while I'm still terrified of using my private and personal accounts, I would be able to write fics. Although due to a lack of certainly important resources, I'm still taking a break from judging in the QLFC and writing as a reporter for the Daily Prophet.** **I lost a bit of myself when our privacy was breached and I feel incredibly scared and vulnerable it might happen again but they can't take away writ** **ing from me.**

* * *

James and Sirius wearily dragged their heavily exhausted bodies all the way to the Gryffindor Common Room while their worn out legs climbed the revolving staircase with a vast amount of effort. Peter trailed right behind them, looking a little too energetic compared to the former pair.

"If I see another bloody bedpan again!" James complained loudly as he felt every sore muscle ached on his body in response to his upset mood, "I swear I am going to hex someone!"

Professor McGonagall had been much too stringent with them, launching into a very heated tirade about risky behavior, immoral demeanor and compromising the health and wellbeing of their fellow schoolmates which she strongly refuted were all non-Gryffindor qualities.

James remembered the shrill voice of their Head of House as she reprimanded the three. His pulsating headache throbbed even further in recollection while her sharp tone continued to echo in his ears, "A laxative potion, Mr. Potter? What on earth were you boys thinking! You could've have severely poisoned your schoolmates!"

When Peter's bright tone interjected, snapping James out of his reverie. "Oh c'mon, Prongs. It wasn't so bad."

"Easy for you to say, Wormtail," Sirius grumbled as they made their way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, "you fainted on us after you tripped on a bucket and hit your head with a bedpan. Much help you were, you didn't even a clean a damn one!"

With Peter unconsciously laying on one of the hospital beds and Remus occupying a similar bed due to the inevitably harsh effects of the full moon, James and Sirius were left with the laborious task of scrubbing more than a thousand bloody bedpans by hand.

"Why in Merlin's name does Madam Pomfrey even need over a thousand bloody bedpans?" Sirius protested as he lost count of how many bedpans he scrubbed clean using a dirty, old cloth while the school nurse confiscated their wands. "This is a school not bloody St. Mungo's!" he raised his hands in the air with frustration.

"Maybe since most of the Slytherins were experiencing loose bowel movements, using a bedpan would decrease their trips to the bathroom?" Peter spoke enthusiastically, oblivious to the glares James and Sirius were sending his way. "You've got to admit, the hospital wing was jam-packed with snakes."

"Hey, ow!" Peter whined as he earned a punch on the arm from Sirius.

"Now's not the time to be an annoying git!" James said in a frustrated manner while he watched Peter rubbed the spot Sirius punched.

In addition to scrubbing the thousands of bloody bedpans stored in the hospital wing without the use of magic, mind you, the three were also assigned to help Hagrid with his duties in the Forbidden Forest, all because the Marauders spiked the Slytherins' pumpkin juice with a laxative potion. How bloody fantastic.

Hearing the creaking of the Fat Lady's portrait as it swung open, the Marauders with the exception of Remus, who was still in the hospital wing, navigated the steps that lead to the boys' dormitories.

"But did you see the look on Shafiq's face this morning?" James' exhausted disposition seemed to have shifted into a happy, lighter mood by the sheer memory of Callista as he faced Sirius and Peter.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed, "She has the same look on her face every time she sees you, mate – with disgust and irritation." Oh how he wished James could hear the intensity of the eye roll he was giving him.

"Wrong you are, Padfoot." James shook his head, running his fingers through his already messy, raven hair and countered smugly as he raised his chin, "She smiled."

Peter narrowed his eyes before casting a look between Sirius and James, "She smiled? At you?" he asked their bespectacled friend.

"Well technically… no," James coughed matter-of-factly and laced his fingers together as if he was trying to solve a very difficult Arithmancy equation, "But the prank we pulled made her smile so-"

James was not yet finished speaking when Sirius brought by exhaustion decided to cut him off, "Seriously, Prongs. I'm not in the mood right now to listen to your sappy attempts to delude yourself over Shafiq's attention to you or lack thereof. I'm going to take a shower, you should too." The curly haired boy darted past his two companions and made his way to their own dorm room.

James was already quite sure that he was nowhere near to achieving the beautiful auburn haired witch's good graces much less her approval. Although this was clearly progress, a step up from his many previously disastrous advances, regardless of what Sirius labeled as a desperate attempt to convince himself otherwise.

* * *

Callista restlessly lay on her four poster bed; the lush red and gold pillows as well as the thick crimson sheets were tangled and in wild disarray with each of her uneasy movements as a horrifying scream escaped her mouth, jolting her body and mind into pure awareness.

She immediately pulled the curtains of her bed and casted a quick glance to the sleeping forms belonging to Alice and Mary, undisturbed by her piercing shrieks.

She exhaled in relief, the silencing charms she placed were strong enough to block out any of her screams. Her amber eyes darted towards the wand she tucked surreptitiously under her pillow; she had successfully used it for the first time. Black wasn't a bad tutor, after all.

Although, that little amount of victory could not subdue the overwhelming feeling that plagued her day by day as the nightmares continued to taunt her. The cruel voices in her head which belonged to her parents' killer, mocked her for her evident weakness; the ghost of her tragic past permanently latched itself like an ugly, jagged scar on her already tattered heart, reminding her of what she had lost and of what she could never have again.

She would not allow any person to know of her suffering, she would not let anybody penetrate her walls to learn of her weakness and use it against her as her own destruction. She vowed to herself to never trust anyone.

Being far away from her Uncle Raphael, her only living family who was the solitary source of comfort for her ever since her parents' horrible deaths and yet he could not be with her.

Professor Dumbledore made it vividly clear. Raphael, with his diminishing health from a deadly curse placed on the Shafiq House must remain in hiding as Voldemort's rise in power continued to grow stronger.

Callista knew that word of tongue would have been passed around and rumors about the last remaining heir of the House of Shafiq would soon be heard by the ears of many Death Eaters and not long after, by Lord Voldemort himself, courtesy of her Slytherin classmates.

"A peaceful sleep at Hogwarts would never be achieved," she chuckled at the thought despondently.

Callista carefully brushed a lock of damp auburn hair from her face and wiped the sweat beaded on her forehead with the back of her hand.

She lifted pale, slender fingers and placed a palm on her chest. She closed her eyes and simply listened to her fast heartbeat. Her heartbeats were so rapid and loud, her heart could have possibly leaped out of her ribcage. Breathing in and out evenly through her nose and mouth, she ordered her body to calm down even if her mind couldn't.

Every night which mildly stemmed from Remus' absence, Callista fought the urge to head over to the hospital wing for a potion of Sleeping Draught from Madam Pomfrey.

As masochistic and torturous as it might have seemed, a part of her did not want to forget every single detail that had happened to her and her family. She did not want to rely on a false account of reassurance. She could not allow herself to become dependent of a mere sleeping agent that could only relieve her of her sufferings temporarily.

A part of her demanded to feel every agonizing ounce of pain, suffering and torment Voldemort and his followers had done to her family. Callista's fiery amber eyes scorched fiercely with a different and a much more aggressive emotion – anger. _Revenge_. One day, every one of them who had done her family wrong would pay for their crimes generously.


	15. Surprise, Surprise

**I'd like to thank everyone for the likes and favorites plus a special shout out to those who left reviews on the last chapter: simbacurls, cheesycheesy03, Mia, and CrystalVixen93.**

* * *

Now, how would she make them pay? Would exalting the ideal retribution to the devil spawns of every known Death Eater be enough to satiate the desire to murder them all?

"Murder…To kill another human being, to end one's life, to cause an individual death." Callista savored the words in her mouth, licking her bottom lip as if the idea alone was the most mouth-watering treat in the entire world.

 _Murder_ – the ultimate act of supreme evil, the most wicked deed which caused the person's soul to become permanently damaged and beyond the means of repair.

Callista was not a cold-blooded killer unlike her parents' murderer but she could be if she needed to, even if it meant destroying her own soul in the process.

She closed her eyes as she memorized the faces belonging to the sons and daughters of Voldemort's followers – her Slytherin schoolmates. How fortunate it was to have them here at Hogwarts, just within her reach and saving her from the trouble of hunting them down.

She knew certainly well her father and mother would strongly disapprove of her decision once she chose to act upon it but none of that mattered to her, besides they weren't alive to reprimand her about it. Her Uncle Raphael was a different story but he was not even around to stop her. He would have been a wanted had it not been for his 'so-called' death. Therefore, he still remained in their lone cottage in Mould-on-the-Wold where he was currently in hiding and Professor Dumbledore, well… he did not have to know.

Callista did not care if she would burn in hell for as long as the people she loved could live in paradise.

Her jaw tightened. Her small hands balled into fists and she felt her petite frame quaked in anger.

"Soon," she promised herself. "So very soon."

She felt the powerful magic seeping from her skin and coursing through her veins in obvious delight and harmony and Callista welcomed it. She allowed it to envelope her, to wrap her, and completely bathe herself with the ominous energy until it felt like she was wearing a second skin.

The oozing magic still felt foreign to her although it was strong, raw and potent. It tingled her flesh like tiny needles pricking all over her body repeatedly but it was the first time she embraced it unreservedly.

"Ughh…" She was startled as she heard Alice groaned in pain from the bed adjacent to her.

Callista blinked and quickly snapped the malevolent aura inside of her. She was suddenly anxious her roommates might wake up though it was swiftly followed by a soft snore from Alice and of Mary breathing peacefully on the bed in front of her.

"What was I thinking?" she thought. She never wanted to hurt Alice or Mary but would she actually go to extreme lengths to kill her schoolmates? She knew her magic was powerful and yet, it was unstable. She could feel it in the heavy atmosphere filling inside their dorm room. She needed to calm down. She needed to think straight. She desperately needed air.

With a ragged breath and an unsteady pulse, Callista hurriedly clambered out of her bed and ran toward the familiar comfort of the Gryffindor common room. Once she had arrived at Hogwarts, this small space had been her refuge.

Though her breathing remained labored and her heartbeat continued to quicken as she stood in front of the common room entrance.

"Calm down," Callista commanded herself. Her delicate hand was resting in front of her chest, just over the silk material of her white night gown.

Her amber eyes caught sight of the gentle fire at the center of the room. It dimly illuminated the empty armchairs and furniture surrounding the modest space. Now, she was positive she was all alone. Good. She wanted no – she needed time for herself.

The balls of her bare feet padded toward the sofa. The one next to the fireplace. The spot where she always slept whenever Remus accompanied her ever so often. She found it personally sweet of him when she would often wake up the very next day inside her own dorm room, tucked comfortably under her thick blankets. He always provided her with his company and never questioned her about why she had difficulty sleeping at night.

But Remus proved to be a disappointment as manifested by his recent bizarre behavior toward her and she did not have the time nor energy to deal with that kind of things. She did not want to admit it to herself however, she was a little hurt he chose to avoid her and she did not know what for.

Callista shook her head to abolish any thoughts of Remus aside, now was not the time to dwell about that.

She plopped herself on the sofa, craving for that one moment of peace and solitude when…

"Ooof!" A drowsy, muffled male voice broke her contact with the soft, lush sofa and instead Callista was met with the hard, solid built of a boy.

"Who are you?" Callista's brows furrowed in irritation. Who was this infuriating boy underneath her who planned to sabotage her peaceful moment in quiet? She could not see the boy's face because it was covered with some kind of quilt so she reached for the covers and tried to yank it off of him.

"Hey! Hey, easy!" the stifled voice laughed while pleading as he assumed he was being tickled. "No need to grope me!" The voice spoke once more. The lethargy seemed to be leaving his body.

" _Potter_?" Callista gritted her teeth as she met the sleepy amused grin of the messy, raven-haired boy in spectacles who was below her when he pulled off the covers.

"Why hello there, Shafiq! I didn't know you had it in you to grope a man while he was asleep. If you wanted to feel my abs so badly you should've just said so you know." James told to her in what he believed was a seductive gesture. He motioned himself to a sitting position, trying to get rid of his sleepiness brought by terrible detention given to them in the hospital wing. Who would have known he would be receiving a wonderful surprise when he slept in the common room?

Callista immediately pulled away from where her body was pressed against him, aghast by his suggestion and said, "I did not grope you and I am not trying to feel your imaginary abs, by the way. I thought I was alone."

She was blushing profusely. Oh, Merlin. What would her Uncle Raphael think of her daring act toward a testosterone-filled teenage boy? He would have thrown a fit even if it was merely an accident. How did she end up on top of James Potter of all people? Thanked Godric, he could barely make out her face in the dimly lit space.

"Oh, tosh. This body is every girl's dream, you know." James scoffed since she might have been lying about his immaculate physique. "Well, now that you're here. We can bask in each other's tantalizing presence." He stretched his arms as a yawn escaped his lips; he was convinced it was already late by now and patted on the space right next to him. "C'mon, I don't bite."


	16. Torn

**Hello, everyone! I'm sorry I've been gone for about two months without updating. Real life was overbearing (I just had one of the toughest exams and grueling hours of work at the hosp) but I did manage to write oneshots for two Halloween competitions. For Twilight, I wrote Paradise Kiss (Human AU) and for Harry Potter, I wrote Diabolus Est Cor Meum (It's a Tomione Magical AU which won 5 awards in different categories). Please read them both, it's guaranteed to give you all a good scare and when you do read them, don't forget to leave me a review!**

 **And as per tradition every chapter update, I'd like to give a shout out to those lovely people who followed and favorite. Special shout out to CrystalVixen93 and Guest for your review. This is the first fanfic I've ever written so it has a very special place in my heart. I love you all. Thank you for sticking around with me and for loving the Marauders as much as I do. I hope you'll also grow to love Callista 3 and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **P.S. all these chapters are unbetaed, so if anyone wants to help me clean out the story, it'd be definitely appreciated!**

* * *

As soon as the raven-haired boy's words rung in her ears, Callista's amber eyes enlarged as though they would bulge out of their sockets. She felt her cheeks grow hotter by the minute and it was not because she was blushing. Her head snapped up immediately to face him.

Her brow inched north from his audacious suggestion. He really was an arrogant brat. " _Really_ , _Potter_?" she fumed. If looks could kill, James would have been a heaping pile of turd right now. He was lucky he couldn't make out her features in the dull light of the common room fireplace.

The urge to fire him a hex or two was too strong to miss out on but she ignored the loud protests in her brain telling her, otherwise. She curled her soft palm to a fist, digging her nails against her smooth skin with enough force to create an unpleasant sensation. She was trying to fight off the nerves in her system.

"Breathe in. Breathe out," Callista repeatedly chanted to herself as she inhaled through her mouth and exhaled through her nose. She could not afford to fatally injure a fellow housemate even if it was this big-headed, egotistical prat. Her magic was already volatile because of the many conflicting thoughts buried in her heart and mind. She had to keep her actions at bay because she knew she would regret it if ever she lost control.

"It was worth a shot." James answered groggily, bringing her mind to the present. He flashed her his winning smile, exerting more effort than usual. He showed off his perfect set of pearly white teeth that glimmered in the faint light illuminated by the gentle fire.

He shifted on his seat, his back leaning on the armrest of the crimson sofa in a rather awkward and uncomfortable way. Callista could see how hard he fought to keep himself awake but his eyelids were shutting close and his head was already drooping on his shoulders.

"Why are you even sleeping here?" She couldn't help but asked. She tried to sound concerned, although she only managed to sound irritated.

James suppressed a yawn, not even bothering to remove his glasses. "Too tired to climb up to the dormitory."

"Why didn't Black or Pettigrew come here and get you?" It was unusual for Sirius to simply leave his messy-haired friend behind; these two boys were so close to each other, almost like they were literally attached at the hip. She didn't know much about Peter; however, he was also their friend.

He shrugged his shoulders but spoke after a while. His voice heavily doused with sleep. "Padfoot's tired… we cleaned so many bedpans… Pete's useless…"

Callista sighed and shook her head. Of course, she remembered what happened. They had detention in the hospital wing earlier this afternoon. These boys were so immature. Why would they replace the Slytherins' pumpkin juice with a laxative potion? She'd never understand the reason. It was probably due to something trivial, anyway. No wonder Professor McGonagall was absolutely livid with them. The Marauders poisoned nearly all of the students in Salazar's house. Although even Callista had to admit, their prank was absolutely hilarious and Professor Dumbledore seemed secretly amused about it as well. She was also impressed on how effective their potion was. It truly made a great amount of damage that day in the Great Hall. She would never forget the flustered looks of the snakes, most especially from Mulciber and Snape as they tried to hold in their explosive bowel movements – it was priceless.

"You boys wouldn't have detention if you didn't poison their drinks, you know." Callista knew this was the longest conversation she ever had with James Potter and yet, she didn't seem to mind. Who would have thought that he could engage in a normal conversation when he was half-asleep?

"I had to do it, it serves them right. Pads, Moony, and Wormtail agree." His mind was drifting from consciousness. It was slowly lulling his rationality to sleep but the conviction in his tone was clear and resolute.

Callista's brows furrowed in confusion. What did he mean by that? But she decided that it would be best to drop the issue; it was none of her business, anyway.

"Moony…" she absentmindedly thought about Remus. She hadn't seen him in days. A tiny surge of hurt pricked her chest. She was still at a loss on why he was acting so cold and distant. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She decided to focus on other matters, thinking about these negativities would not do her any good. Her gaze travelled to the sleeping form of the raven-haired boy in spectacles. Surely he would have dragged James' sorry arse back into their dormitories.

"Moony's sick. He's in the hospital wing." James said inaudibly, the words muffled by exhaustion as though he was sleep-talking. Callista was shocked; she did not know she had said his nickname out loud. She never called Remus by Moony before.

"Sick?" she cocked her head to the side. She knew James wouldn't be able to see her puzzled expression for his eyes were already closed but she hoped the stress in her voice was enough to emphasize her reaction.

"Yeah, it's because of the mo–" he was unable to finish his sentence as sleep finally overcame him.

What? What was he going to say? She tried nudging his shoulders but he was already in a deep state of sleep. He must be extremely exhausted. Just how many bed pans were they forced to clean by hand?

Callista was in utter bewilderment. She was now left hanging with not much of a clue, clinging on as she tried to decipher what those vague words meant. Was that the reason why Remus was behaving completely strange around her?

"Well, he must not be feeling well." She figured that it was best to leave that little piece of information for now. James was not exactly in a perfect state of mind to be divulging other people's personal details at the moment. Even if she did not like him to a certain degree, she couldn't just leave him there, sleeping uncomfortably on the sofa. His body positioned at such a strange angle.

Callista took a deep breath, gathering all her courage and swallowed. "You can do this." She cheered herself on, shaking off the jitters from her hands to her fingers as she spread her right palm, flexing and unflexing the bones and muscles continuously.

"Accio wand!" She commanded at once. The certainty and determination resounded from her tone as she flawlessly recited the spell loud and clear.

Without a moment too soon, the wand went soaring out of her dormitory and landed gracefully in her hand. The smooth feel of vinewood was now in her grasp, the pulsating humming of her magic flowing freely in her wand... she was getting better at this even though it was only basic spells. Black was a good tutor, but she wouldn't tell him that. His ego could not handle it after all.

Now, the second part was kind of tricky however, it was all in the pronunciation and wand flicking. "Swish and flick," Callista repeated over and over again.

She could do this. Heck, she casted numerous wards and anti-apparition charms all over their cottage on Mould-on-the-Wold – nonverbally and wandless at that. Surely, she could handle a simple levitating spell.

"It was to place the emphasis on the "o" sound," Sirius' voice echoed in her mind as he would often remind her during one of their practice lessons. She pointed her wand at James who was still fast asleep and spoke with crystal clarity, "Wingardium Leviosa." The sparks of magic shot out of her wand as it finally touched her target.

Callista marveled at the sight as the sleeping boy continue to ascend slowly in the air. The corners of her lips broke out into a huge grin. She did it. She had successfully levitated James and it did not even wake him up.

With great concentration, in addition to caution and care, she dragged her wand to the direction of the boys' dormitories. Carefully, she climbed up the staircase while she kept a watchful over James, making sure he was alright under her spell. She twisted the doorknob and her amber eyes swept over the scene. Sirius and Peter were both fast asleep but there were two remaining beds that were left unoccupied. Callista's forehead creased as she began to think, choosing which of the two beds belonged to James since it was difficult to merely guess in the dark.

An assortment of Quidditch League posters caught her line of sight; the moving players perched atop their brooms zooming in and out of the magical images plastered on the walls. Now she was positively certain, this was his bed. The one at the far corner just beside Peter's. With a soft flick of her wand, she gently laid James on the cot and covered his body with the blanket as she placed his glasses on the nearest bedside table.

She smiled when she observed his peaceful form in front of her. The mop of messy hair splayed haphazardly on his pillow, the soft features on his face while he was deep in sleep, the gentle rising and falling of his chest as he took each breath. He was no longer that mischievous, arrogant boy who always pestered her without end. This was the face of an innocent, naïve child who knew not the brutality and horror of the Wizarding world or the cruelty and dangers of the Muggle world. Where James laid, he was unreserved and unguarded to the terrible truth of the world. He was whole, pure and untainted – the complete opposite of her.


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